Mysticon Short Stories
by bookwyrm321
Summary: A collection of short stories featuring the defenders of Gemina. Featuring both heroic adventures and everyday happenings in the lives of the Mysticons.
1. Chapter 1

**In case the title didn't give it away, this will be a series of short stories about the Mysticons. Mostly fluffy stuff, with a few missing scenes thrown in. Some will be longer than others. I'll do my best to keep everything canon-compliant. Everything in this fic exists in the same continuity, so events from one chapter might be referenced in another.**

 **This specific scene takes place during Episode 13, "All Hail Necrafa" and shows how I think the Mysticons brought the Pink Skulls onboard with the plan (pun intended). All the dialogue up until Zarya says, "We'll figure this out," is from the episode.**

 **I don't own Mysticons!**

 **Pirate Collaboration**

The Mysticons were sitting down on the Astromancer Palace walkway with their legs dangling over the side.

"Those mages really burn my forge! Why would Malvaron go along with this?" Em ranted.

"'Cause he's a spell-slingin' liar face!" Piper shook her fist in the air in frustration.

Arkayna sighed. Zarya put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. We're here for you. We'll figure this out." She paused. "And I know just how to do it."

Arkayna looked up, her expression hopeful. "Really?"

Zarya nodded. "It's not _entirely_ legal, but yeah, I've got a plan."

"Then… what are you waiting for?" Arkayna asked.

"Making sure no one overhears, but I think we're in the clear." Zarya pulled out her phone, selected a contact, and put it on speaker. "Doug? You're on your way back to the hideout, right?"

"Umm… yeah," the Cyclops answered.

"Good. Change of plans, though; I need you to go into the palace, get the statues of the king and queen, and haul them out onto the balcony. Got it?"

"Get the statues to the balcony, okay. But… why?"

Zarya shook her head. "There's no time; I'll explain later." She made as if to disconnect the call, but then pulled her hand back and added, "And if anyone stops you, tell them you're there on orders of the princess. We'll see you soon."

She hung up for real this time and selected another contact. Arkayna stared at her. "That's it? That's your plan? How does that help me restore my parents?"

"I'm not done yet, princess. Time for phase two!" Zarya hit the call button.

The phone only rang once before it was answered. "Go for Kitty."

Zarya didn't waste any time. "It's me. How'd you like to pull a heist on the royal palace and totally make the Astromancers look like fools at the same time?"

There was a pause, then… "You know me way too well, Z-Star. I'm in. PINK SKULLS, MOVE IT OR LOSE IT! WE'VE GOT A JOB TO DO!"

The other Mysticons had yelped and covered their ears when Kitty started bellowing. Zarya hadn't flinched. "Okay, here's the plan. I need you to fly up to the palace balcony—you know, where we partied that time? There, you'll meet a Cyclops named Doug. Load him and his cargo onto the ship, then fly over to the Cliffs of Courage. Once you're there, look for an explosion in the sky—that'll be the signal for go time."

"Got it, see you soon." Kitty clicked off.

Zarya put her phone away. "Like I said, not entirely legal, but this might be our only chance."

"I don't like it, but you're right. And the Pink Skulls helped us get the Dragon Disk back, so I guess they're all right." Arkayna eyed her friend. "There's a couple things I'm worried about, though. Won't Kitty get suspicious when she shows up at the Cliffs of Courage to find the Mysticons, and Zarya Moonwolf is nowhere to be found?"

Zarya suddenly developed an extreme interest in her boots. Arkayna sighed. "You told her." It wasn't a question.

"I had to." Zarya didn't look up. "Maybe it was a risk, but I knew Kitty wouldn't work against me if she knew that's what she was doing. We know each other better than anyone; we can practically read each other's minds. I'm _still_ not sure how I didn't pick up on her intention to steal the Dragon Disk from us before. Kitty looks out for her people, though, and that still includes me. So I told her my secret, and the Pink Skulls are now solidly on our side. Which is good, since it doesn't look like the Astromancers are anymore. I'd rather not fight the Spectral Hand, the Astromancers, _and_ the Pink Skulls. Now we don't have to, and we have new allies."

"Will Kitty be expecting a large amount of gold for this?" Arkayna asked.

Zarya burst out laughing, but quickly got herself under control when Arkayna glared at her. "Sorry. It's just that I offered her some gold after we got the Dragon Disk back. She shoved it back at me and said, and I quote, 'Don't be ridiculous. The Pink Skulls work for the Mysticons now.' She values friends more than money; she always has."

Arkayna didn't want to think about the implications of that statement and instead turned to her other concern. "They'll be cutting it close. Nova Terron said we're leaving within the hour."

Zarya smirked. "Please. The Pink Skulls have the fastest ship in the seven skies; it's how no one's ever caught them and hauled them in for pirating. As long as Doug holds up his end of the deal, they'll get there long before us. Although, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stall the Astromancers a little. Hmmm… Em, Arkayna, when they're ready to leave, can you guys pretend to get into an argument? And once they break you up, Choko, you run off, and Piper, you run after him. That ought to give us," she paused, calculating, "at least ten extra minutes."

"Got it!" Piper saluted cheerfully. "Why the Cliffs of Courage, though?"

"The Cliffs of Courage are on a direct course between the Astromancer Palace and the Crystal Archipelago. They're also a direct flight from the royal palace. Zarya's right; if we stall the Astromancers, Kitty should get there way before us."

Zarya, Piper, and Arkayna all stared at Em, who shrugged. "What? I mapped the layout of the entire city from griffin-back. It's kinda my job."

Zarya nodded. "She's right, which means it's the perfect spot to hijack the Codex and abandon ship."

"Okay, so we've got a plan." Arkayna stood up. The others followed. Arkayna put one hand out in front of her. Zarya grinned and placed her own hand on top of Arkayna's. Em and Piper quickly did the same. "Ready, girls?"

The four quickly flung their outstretched hands toward the sky.

"Mysticons!"


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter takes place between Episode 14, "The Dome" and Episode 15, "Clash of the Tridents," and shows the Mysticons figuring out how to proceed now that Necrafa's been released and Arkayna's parents are at the bottom of the ocean.**

 **I also want to make it clear that there will be no set update schedule for this fic. Most of the content has been written out the old-fashioned way, and it's just a matter of typing it up, but my work schedule is unpredictable and will have a significant impact on uploads.**

 **I don't own Mysticons!**

 **Next Move**

Zarya, Em, and Piper were all seated around the table, eating pancakes. Malvaron was pacing the floor. They were waiting for Arkayna to wake up and join them so they could all figure out a plan.

"That's it! I'm waking her up," Em announced, finishing her second plateful. She put the empty plate on the table (where Choko proceeded to lick up the crumbs) then got to her feet and headed toward Arkayna's room.

Arkayna's door was open a crack. Em knocked, then pushed it all the way open. Arkayna wasn't asleep; she was sitting on her bed, staring at nothing. "Hey, Arkayna? We're having a strategy meeting out there, and we could really use your input."

Arkayna didn't move or give any indication that she'd heard.

Em tried another strategy. "You should come down. Doug made pancakes." She paused. "No syrup, though, you can thank Piper for that. Aren't you hungry?"

Arkayna still didn't react.

Em was losing patience. "Okay, you know what? I didn't want to have to do this, but as your friend, I'm _ordering_ you to get out here, eat something, and do your job as Dragon Mage!"

Arkayna flicked a hand, releasing a ball of green fire. The flames sped toward the door and caused it to slam shut in Em's face. Em yelped as she landed on her butt in the hallway. A clicking sound could be heard as the door locked.

Em sat there a minute, then got to her feet and dusted herself off. To no one in particular, she remarked, "Well, that didn't go as planned," then walked back out into the main room.

Zarya was on her fifth plate of pancakes (seriously, _where_ did such a skinny girl put so much food?) while Piper was teasing Choko by waving a forkful in front of his face, then eating it herself.

"Uhh, guys? We have a problem. Arkayna's not coming out of her room, and she slammed the door in my face when I tried to tell her we needed her."

Zarya set down her now-empty plate and stood up. "Let me handle this."

Piper and Em followed her as she stalked down the hallway. Malvaron yelled after them, "Don't break down the door; it'll be a pain to fix it, even with magic!"

When they reached the door, Zarya tried the knob. Locked, as she'd expected. All right, they'd do this Undercity-style. She started testing the door's sturdiness.

"Wait, Zarya! Malvaron said not to break it down!" Em pleaded.

Zarya glanced at her and scoffed. "Please. I don't solve _every_ problem with brute strength."

From a hidden compartment on one of her belts, Zarya drew several long, thin pieces of metal. Selecting two, she inserted them into the locking mechanism and began to feel around.

Em wasn't sure what was happening. "What are you doing?"

"Picking the lock." Zarya glanced at Em. "I could teach you how if you want." Em didn't seem to know how to respond to that.

A click sounded. Zarya turned the knob of the now-unlocked door and opened it. She stepped inside and activated the light-globes. Arkayna had apparently thought that locking the door would keep them out; she was staring at the doorway in disbelief.

"Seriously? _How_ did you get in here?" she demanded.

Zarya waved her lock picks. "Undercity master thief, remember? Your lock is a joke, by the way."

Arkayna leaped off her bed and started across the room. "You need to get _out_ of my room before I _throw_ you out!" By this point, she was in Zarya's face and Em was using Piper as an elven shield.

Zarya didn't back down. "No! _You_ need to get your butt out there and help us come up with our next move! Or do you suddenly not care at all about restoring your parents!"

Arkayna took a step back, her anger fizzling into shock. "Your strategy meeting… is about getting my parents back?" When Em had mentioned "strategy meeting," Arkayna had assumed she meant strategies on dealing with Necrafa, now that she was free.

Zarya threw her hands up in exasperation. "Obviously! Necrafa and Tazma have retreated for now, which means we have some time to think about other things!"

Arkayna didn't know what to say. Her friends had been trying to help her, and she'd pushed them away. "I… I'm sorry."

Em nodded and Piper smiled, indicating that her apology was accepted. Zarya took a step closer and met Arkayna's eyes.

"I told you I know what it's like to lose family. If we have a chance to save yours, I'll do whatever I can to help."

Zarya didn't deal with gratitude well, so Arkayna just nodded in appreciation, then walked out into the hideout's central living space.

She stopped short when she got there, and after staring for a moment, burst into giggles. Doug had indeed made pancakes, but Em had neglected to mention the fact that he was wearing a frilly lavender apron that was clearly several sizes too small. Based on the color, Arkayna guessed it belonged to Em.

Doug mock-glared at her. "What? You've never seen a Cyclops make breakfast before?"

Arkayna was laughing too hard to answer. Doug didn't seem to mind. He loaded up a plate and handed it to her, then motioned for her to take a seat with the others.

"Okay, so our next job is figuring out how to restore the king and queen. Even without the Codex, we might be able to find some obscure source that tells us how to do it," Em began.

"But we need to get them back first. Right now, the statues are at the bottom of the ocean," Zarya pointed out. "Would we even know where to start looking?"

"Yes." All eyes fell on Arkayna, who had inhaled her pancakes but hadn't gone back for seconds. "I left to try and get back to Drake City before the dome was raised, but I planted one of Em's tracking devices first. It should lead us there, no problem."

"I can mix up some water-breathing potions pretty quick. Then you'd have a lot more time to retrieve them," offered Malvaron.

"Yay, we have a plan! And a way to actually make it happen!" Piper cheered.

Arkayna stood up. "All right, girls. It's—"

"Hold up."

Arkayna turned to look at Zarya, who had her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. "What?"

"We still have a loose end that needs tying up." Before anyone could blink, Zarya had crossed the room and caught Malvaron in a chokehold. He would have tried to fight her off, but she had her arm locked around his throat in such a way that while he could still breathe (barely), she would tighten her grip and cut off his air completely if he tried to move even the slightest bit.

Piper giggled and took out her phone. She wasn't going to miss recording this!

Zarya spoke quietly, "Listen up, wondermage, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once." She paused to make sure he was listening, then continued in a soft, dangerous tone, "If you _ever_ take the Astromancers' side over ours again, I will _personally_ haul you to Necrafa's lair and let Tazma rip you to shreds. Got it?"

She loosened her grip just enough that he'd be able to speak. After a moment, he managed to squeak out, "Yes ma'am!" She let him go and he fell to the floor, gasping for breath.

Everyone else was staring. Zarya turned to Arkayna, smirking. " _Now_ it's magic hour."

 **This chapter accomplishes a couple of things. First, I wanted to have a breakfast scene. Don't ask me why, I just did. Second, I wanted the chance to showcase some of Zarya's criminal talents. We see a few of them here (lock-picking, intimidation, and street fighting techniques) and I'm going to work some more of them into later chapters. (Em does end up taking her up on the offer and learning how to pick locks!) Third, I didn't like that Zarya was so quick to forgive Malvaron in "All Hail Necrafa." We see in "An Eye for an Eye" that she's got a tendency to hold grudges, and I didn't think that would have disappeared completely. So I worked it out that she** _ **didn't**_ **forgive him, just decided to leave it for later when there weren't any more immediate concerns.**

 **Extra points if you picked up on the RWBY reference I snuck in here! The line popped into my head unplanned, but it was so perfect I had to go with it (Obviously, I changed the names so it worked for this scene!).**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So sorry it took me this long to update! I've been in the wilderness, where there is no wi-fi! (And I'm going back as soon as I get the chance!)**

 **Thanks to all the people who have left reviews so far. All of them have been anonymous, so…**

 **Guest reviewer 2:** Oooh, the Mysticons as element holders? That's a really great idea! I'm not sure I could pull it off without turning it into an ATLA crossover, but I'll add it to my list! I don't think Zarya would be air, though. Too passive. She strikes me as more of a lightning girl! Hehe, lightning puns.

 **Guest reviewer 3:** She totally is! Zarya was my favorite character from the first episode just because of her snarky attitude… but I also love archery. And wolves. And lady pirates… Okay, that's it; I'm totally putting together a Zarya Moonwolf cosplay for my next con. *digs into closet for a navy jacket that could be altered for the purpose*

 **This is a missing scene that takes place near the end of Episode 21, "Three Mysticons and a Baby." Short and humorous.**

The image had faded away, but Arkayna was still staring. _I never would have thought… Who knew my twin sister would turn out to be…_

She turned to the orphanage matron. "This information may help save the realm, but it will also reunite a family. I don't know how we can thank you."

Mrs. Sparklebottom (yeah, that was a lot less funny now that they'd seen what she was capable of in a fight) shook her head. "No thanks are needed. I apologize, Dragon Mage. I should have known that the Mysticons would have only committed such a crime for the good of the realm."

Clearly, the spider-nanny was unaware of the fact that half of the Mysticons were former street thieves. Arkayna wasn't going to enlighten her. She simply bowed respectfully.

The nanny hustled away. Arkayna was watching Em and Piper coo over Blinky when something hit her in the arm. "Ow!" She looked around, but didn't see anything. Something hit her again, in the shoulder this time. "Yow! What the—"

As she turned around, the source of her pain became obvious. Toddler Zarya was winding up her arm for another swing; she'd been whacking Arkayna with her miniature bow. Her face was contorted in a mask of murderous rage that no toddler should ever wear. Arkayna cringed.

"Un-baby me! _Now_!" Zarya demanded. It seemed that her patience—never plentiful—had run out. "We have what we came for, now _fix this_!"

"Oh, um, right. Piper!" Arkayna yelled.

The elf looked over from where she was patting Blinky on his fuzzy head. "Yeah?"

"I need some fiddleheads, star bluebell leaves, spotted toadstools, and a firefruit seed. As quickly as you can!" Arkayna wasn't going to let Zarya's rage build up any more than she had to.

"On it!" Piper cheerfully sped away in search of the ingredients.

Arkayna could _feel_ Zarya glaring at her. She had a bad feeling that her life was going to be full of nasty pranks for the next few days.

"Here ya go!" Piper deposited the ingredients in Arkayna's lap, then returned to where Em was carefully placing Binky into one of the tree-cribs.

Arkayna quickly encased the pile in a glowing orb of magic. The blobs of nature spun around until a puff of smoke appeared and the end result—a small beaker filled with pink liquid—landed in her palm. She immediately held the beaker out to Zarya. "Here, this'll un-baby you."

Zarya took the beaker, but didn't drink it. She eyed Arkayna suspiciously. "That's not the same potion you gave me earlier."

"No, that was a growth potion, and I don't see the proper ingredients for another one around here. This is a negation potion; it'll reverse the effects of the last potion you drank," Arkayna hurried to reassure her.

Apparently Zarya didn't need any more convincing than that; she immediately popped the cap off the beaker and tossed back the pink goo.

Arkayna relaxed a bit. Now everything was back to normal, and they could head back to the Astromancer Palace. "Hey, Em, Piper! Get over here; we're leaving!"

The two girls quickly walked across the sanctuary floor to her side. Arkayna turned toward the exit—and choked back a scream.

Zarya—back to her normal appearance—had an arrow nocked and was aiming point-blank at Arkayna's face. The tip of the arrow was less than three inches away from her nose.

"You. Will. Never. Speak. Of. This. Ever. Again. To _anyone_!" Zarya bit out, eyes narrowed. "Swear it, right now, all of you!"

"Deal!" squeaked Arkayna. Em and Piper both made their own sounds of agreement.

Zarya's eyes narrowed even further. Arkayna was thinking that it hadn't mattered what she'd agreed to and Zarya was going to kill her anyway, when the glowing blue arrow dissipated as Zarya gently released the bowstring.

"All right, now that that's taken care of, let's head out. I'm getting some really good laughs thinking about what kind of trouble Choko's getting you into, princess, but I am so done with this place." Zarya headed for the exit.

Arkayna shivered. _That creepy spider-lady's not someone I'd ever wanna meet in a dark alley, but when Zarya gets like that, the dark alley's probably the one who'd run!_ The last time she'd seen Zarya get that angry, Captain Kaos had taken a dive into a pit of darkness. _I'm REALLY glad she's on our side._

"You coming?"

Arkayna looked up at the doorway. Em was standing there, staring at her worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Arkayna shook off the last tendrils of fear and headed out the door. "Hey, wait up!"

 **Bottom line? Don't get on Zarya's bad side. I can't believe Arkayna hadn't figured that out by this point.**

 **Please read and review, but most importantly, enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This scene takes place between Episode 22, "Star-Crossed Sisters," and Episode 25, "Twin Stars Unite." Since the two episodes in between are filler, there's really no way for me to narrow it down any farther.**

 **I don't own Mysticons! (Wish I did.)**

 **A Simple Complication**

The Mysticons were out patrolling on griffin-back. Malvaron had performed a divining spell that informed them of a possible turning point in the war against Necrafa. The spell had only given the vaguest possibility of this, but Arkayna pointed out that they had to follow every lead, no matter how unlikely. They'd also brought the Pink Skulls in on the plan, in order to cover more ground. Kitty had stayed on the ship, while the rest of the crew was roaming the streets. They had orders to contact Arkayna if anything unusual happened.

Right now, Zarya was flying Archer in a ray pattern. She'd start at the ship, fly a short distance, and then return. Since the ship was moving, it was really more of a zigzag pattern, but she was able to see more that way. The Mysticons had split up, and Zarya couldn't see any of them at the moment—which meant she was the only one who saw the ship suddenly lurch to the side, and then just as suddenly correct its course.

 _That can't be good._

She broke her pattern and flew low over the ship, bow at the ready. She fully expected to see specters swarming the deck, but there was nothing there.

 _Weird._

She decided to land on the deck and investigate. If there was a problem she couldn't see from the air, she wasn't going to leave Kitty to deal with it all by herself.

Archer landed lightly on deck, and Zarya quickly vaulted onto her feet. Still no sign of a struggle. The only movement at all was Kitty, standing at the wheel. Well, maybe _standing_ wasn't the right word. More like _drooping._

 _Well, that explains it._

Zarya walked across the deck to join the other girl. "Hey."

Kitty only nodded; she was yawning.

"All right, Kitty, when's the last time you slept?"

Kitty cast her eyes up to the sky as if thinking. Zarya hid a smile and shook her head. "You know, if you have to think about it, that's usually not a good sign."

"It… It's been a few days," Kitty finally admitted.

"Uh- _huh_. Look, why don't you go take a quick nap? I'll take the wheel," Zarya suggested. "If there's a battle ahead, I want you at full strength—or at least not falling asleep in the middle of it."

Kitty cracked a smile at that, then allowed Zarya to lead her over to the side of the ship. After she'd settled onto the deck, leaning against the railing with her head resting on her arm, she smiled drowsily up at Zarya. "You mean the world to me, you know. I dunno what I'd do without you." She might have been about to say more, but she was asleep before she could.

Zarya was about to shift back to her civilian form in order to cover Kitty with her jacket, but a better idea suddenly popped into her mind. Carefully, she ran her hand up the edge of her cape to where it attached to her shoulders. Finding some kind of clasp, she tugged gently, and the cape detached from her outfit. _Huh. That actually worked. Good to know._ But for now, she carefully spread the cape over Kitty's sleeping form, then returned to the wheel.

Her mind was spinning. What had Kitty meant by what she'd just said? They'd stopped acknowledging it when they'd saved each other years ago, since those saves happened so often. Not to mention that neither of them was prone to such emotional displays—although she supposed she could chalk that up to sleep deprivation.

Zarya was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear her wrist-comm crackling. "Zarya… where are you? Zarya?"

She shook herself out of her daze. "Sorry, what was that, Arkayna?"

"Where'd you go? You were supposed to check in with us!"

"I'm on the ship. Kitty was falling asleep at the wheel, so I convinced her to take a short nap while I hold down the fort. Find anything yet?"

There was a pause, then Arkayna replied, "No, nothing. And there's no guarantee we will, either."

"I'll let you know if anything happens over here," Zarya promised, then clicked off.

For the next hour, she was alone with her thoughts. Oh, there were sporadic check-ins from the others, but nobody had found anything yet. Even so, Zarya had decided that finding whatever-it-was didn't matter as much as getting Kitty to come clean about… well, she wasn't quite sure what to call it.

Kitty started stirring about an hour before sunrise, and finally opened her eyes ten minutes later. She took a few minutes to actually wake up, but then stood and walked over to the wheel. Zarya handed over control of the ship without arguing and reattached her cape.

"I think that's the best I've slept in ages," Kitty finally admitted.

Zarya stood with her elbow resting on Kitty's shoulder. "I'm not surprised." She paused for a minute, then finally decided to just go with it. "Hey, Kitty… what did you mean by the stuff you said earlier?"

Kitty frowned. "What'd I say?"

"You don't remember? You said that 'I mean the world to you' and that you don't know what you'd do without me." Zarya glanced at her. "Wow, you must have really been out of it."

Kitty froze. "I said that… out loud?"

Zarya nodded. "You totally did." She looked over at Kitty again. She couldn't tell for sure at this angle, but she thought the other girl looked almost… embarrassed. _There's no way…_ "Kitty… do you think of me as more than a friend?"

Kitty was silent for a long moment before answering. "Yeah… I do. I didn't wanna say anything since I wasn't sure if you felt the same way or not and I didn't want to ruin our friendship if you didn't… but yeah."

She'd turned back to the wheel before Zarya could come up with a reply. Zarya finally settled on, "Fair enough… that's why I never said anything, either."

Kitty kept her hands on the wheel but when she faced Zarya again, her eyes were wide in disbelief. Zarya didn't say anything else, just placed an arm around Kitty's shoulders and squeezed. They stood like that for minute before Kitty broke the silence.

"We're idiots."

"Pretty much," Zarya agreed. "I'm curious, though: how long have you felt this way?"

Kitty sighed. "When you first told me your secret, about… well you know." She waved a hand in a way that indicated Zarya's outfit. "I threatened to turn you in, but… it was all a bluff. I could never do that to you."

She was tracing something on the wheel with a fingertip as she spoke. Zarya leaned over and took a look. Someone—presumably Kitty herself—had carved the Mysticon symbol into the wood.

"How about you?"

Zarya took a minute before answering. "About the same time, actually. You were distracting Dreadbane while we snuck in and snagged the Dragon Disk and the Codex piece, but something went wrong and he tried to throw you in the dungeon. I saw those skeleton warriors dragging you down the corridor, and I realized… I couldn't let that happen."

"Huh. Well, this is gonna complicate things."

"And here I thought it made everything so much simpler," Zarya replied, cracking a smile.

Kitty glanced at her. "How so?"

"Well, for one thing, we don't have to keep hiding our feelings. I've never liked keeping secrets from you," Zarya pointed out. "And things have always been simpler when it's the two of us against the world, right?"

"Yeah… I guess you have a point there."

They lapsed into silence again. Zarya still had her arm around Kitty when another thought entered her mind and she groaned.

"How am I gonna tell the others?"

 **So… that happened.**

 **When I first considered the possibility of these two as a couple, I did what I always do when I come across a potential couple on a show: I asked myself, "Do I ship it?" The next thought to enter my mind was, "Yeah, that'll fly! I wonder if it'll become canon?" If I hadn't been sitting down already, I would have fallen over laughing (good thing I wasn't in class at the time). So, yeah. Basically, I ship KatWolf because of bad puns. (Ship name is inspired by the RWBY fandom. Actually, the bad puns probably are, too; Chibi Yang is a** _ **terrible**_ **influence on me.)**

 **I've never written romance of any kind before, so I debated for a while on whether or not to publish this scene. I finally decided to go with it, because I reference their relationship in other chapters and I didn't want anyone to be left going, "Wait, when did that happen?" And I admit this scene is kinda OOC, but they do tend to let their guards down when it's just the two of them. Also, Kitty's running on several days with no sleep, and I know (from experience, sadly) what sleep deprivation can do to people.**

 **Please don't hate on my ships! That's no fun for anybody. I'm keeping their relationship pretty low-key from here on; I promise this whole fic won't turn into a rom-com.**

 **Read, review, and enjoy the adventures of the Mysticons!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Look at that! Two new chapters in the same week! It's because I love y'all so much. (And NOT because writing the last chapter frustrated me so much that I had to take breaks from it and work on this one in the meantime. Insert eye roll here.) Still, I wish this fandom was bigger…**

 **This chapter takes place immediately following Episode 25, "Twin Stars Unite" and shows Zarya dealing with the events of that episode in her own way. (No, she's not going to go out and get wasted! Come on, I know that's what you were thinking!) Can I just say that I did not see that twist coming? I'm so happy that the fantasy genre still has the power to surprise me.**

Zarya tossed and turned in her hammock, but sleep just wouldn't come. Every time she closed her eyes, images from the day played out behind her eyelids.

 _Arkayna and Proxima lashed to those obelisks…_

 _The spell fizzling out and Necrafa yelling at Tazma…_

 _Freeing the two of them from their bonds…_

 _That green lightning grabbing_ _ **her**_ _…_

 _The next thing she knew she was staring down a two-headed dragon…_

They hadn't had time to fully process the implications of that; all of their energy had been devoted to escaping the fortress with their lives. But as soon as they were safely back in the hideout… She could remember exactly what had been said.

 _Proxima asking, "How is this possible?"_

 _Em, surveying her and Arkayna. "Sooo… you two are the twins."_

 _Piper, looking confused. "Huh? You don't look like twins."_

 _Arkayna, turning to her. "According to the prophecy, we are."_

 _She'd felt compelled to point out, "Yeah, well, according to the prophecy, we're all_ _ **doomed**_ _."_

That had been hours ago, and she'd immediately locked herself in her room. Maybe she'd wake up tomorrow and find that this had all been a bad dream. Of course, she'd have to fall asleep first, and that didn't seem to be happening.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. As quietly as possible, she pulled on her boots and jacket, then tiptoed over to her door. She wasn't terribly worried about waking Piper or Em; Piper was a surprisingly deep sleeper, considering how perky she was in the morning, and Em wouldn't be able to hear anything over the sound of her own snoring. It was Arkayna she had to worry about, and Arkayna that she least wanted to run into. So, stealthy it was.

She carefully snuck through the main room, where Malvaron, Doug, and Proxima were all passed out on the couches (she could see them in the faint glow of Doug's night-light; he vehemently denied being afraid of the dark, but he never failed to keep a light on at nighttime). Choko was there, too, flopped down on the back of one couch. Not like she could blame them; it had been a very long day, for all of them. Auntie Yaga's van was still parked in here; presumably she was sleeping inside.

 _Good. That's everyone accounted for._

Zarya silently made her way to the exit, then turned toward the griffin stables. She counted the doors until she made it to the pen with a wolf design on it. She slipped inside, told Archer, "Shhhh!" then led him out into the night air. She wasn't going to bother putting a saddle on him; it would only slow her down and possibly wake the others. Besides, she could ride bareback just fine.

She hadn't had a destination in mind, but as the floating pizza parlor loomed closer and she caught the silhouette of a skyship that even now was as familiar to her as her own reflection, she knew she'd come to the right place. Directing Archer to land, she dismounted, then told him, "Go home and get some rest, all right? No sense in both of us staying out all night," and then adding, "I'll be fine," when he seemed reluctant to leave. Finally, he spread his wings and took off, heading back toward the stables.

Zarya watched her griffin companion fly away, then opened the door and walked inside to be greeted by a familiar sight. Ten pink-and-black-clad pirates were stuffing their faces full of pizza, and there was a troll on the floor, unconscious. The sheer normalcy of it made her smile as she made her way over to the girl with unmistakable wild black curls.

One of the other pirates caught sight of her first. "Uhh, Kitty?" He pointed in her direction.

Kitty turned and spotted Zarya. "Hey, girl! Out for a midnight pizza run?"

Zarya felt a smile creeping onto her face. "Not exactly…"

Kitty took a closer look at Zarya's expression. Whatever she saw there, it made her turn to Mama Calamari and say, "Three deluxe pies for this girl. Add it to Troll Dude's bill." She turned back to Zarya and pointed to the empty seat next to her. "Sit. Whatever's going on, it can't be so bad that a few pies can't make it better."

Zarya could have argued with that, but at that moment, Mama Calamari set down three pizza boxes on the table. Suddenly, nothing was as important as inhaling the cheesy deliciousness that was in front of her.

It only took a few minutes for her to finish off the pies. Kitty watched every slice. When all three boxes were empty, she looked over at her crew. "You guys can do whatever, but we'll be on the ship." She cast a meaningful glance over the table.

Zarya got the hint; Kitty wanted to hear the full story of how she'd ended up here in the middle of the night. _Well, she needs to know anyway._

The two girls left the pizza shop and boarded the ship. Kitty made a beeline for the bridge, and Zarya decided that was probably the best place for this conversation to happen.

Kitty shut the door behind her, then took a seat on the small couch that was shoved into one corner. "Sooo… what's up?"

Zarya knew that Kitty wasn't just making small talk. She sighed. "Where do I even start?"

Kitty only raised her eyebrows.

"Well… we had a mission today. It involved breaking into the Spectral Hand's lair… but I guess the biggest thing…" Zarya took a deep breath. _No turning back now…_ "Proxima… is not Arkayna's sister… I am."

Kitty's golden eyes immediately locked onto Zarya's turquoise ones, searching for any sign that this was some kind of joke. She found none. After a minute, she leaned back on the couch and patted the seat next to her.

"All right… tell me everything."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arkayna jerked awake, not sure what had woken her. Then the sound of someone banging at her door caught her attention, accompanied by Malvaron's voice: "Arkayna! You awake?"

"Well, I am _now_!" she called back, annoyed.

"Good. Come on out here and eat something, then we gotta head up to the Astromancer Palace."

Arkayna was about to ask why when the events of the previous day suddenly flooded into her mind. _Oh, right. That._ "I'll be out in five minutes!"

 _The spectral dragon is free, the realm is in jeopardy, and… Proxima's not my sister… Zarya is._

After finding out she had a twin, Arkayna couldn't help wondering who it was. She'd dismissed the possibility that it was someone she knew; otherwise the spectral dragon would already have been released, right? But even before coming to that conclusion, she hadn't considered the possibility that the girl who lived two rooms away from her could be the one; it hadn't even crossed her mind. And her assumption had been wrong: a spell was required to release the spectral dragon, not just the twins being in each other's presence. But now, it turned out that she'd known her twin sister longer than she'd even known she _had_ a twin sister.

 _The cosmoverse has a twisted sense of humor._

For one thing, she'd thought that Zarya was older than her, sixteen or seventeen. And for another, Zarya had to be the _prickliest_ person Arkayna had ever met. Not that Proxima was the most likable person ever, but they'd at least had some time to get used to the idea of being sisters.

She was still turning over these thoughts when she opened the door and walked out into the hideout's main room. Nobody was there, but there was a stack of bagels on the table, so she grabbed one. Then the commotion from down the hall registered in her mind, so she walked that way, nibbling the doughy circle as she went.

Em, Piper, Malvaron, and Doug were all clustered around Zarya's door. They were taking turns yelling for her to get out here. "What's going on?" Arkayna wanted to know.

Malvaron glanced over. "Zarya won't come out of her room, and we can't leave without her."

 _Of course not._ "Zarya, if you don't get your butt out here in the next ten seconds, I'm breaking the door down!"

"Whoa, whoa! We don't need to break it down!" Em protested. "I can open it."

Arkayna stared. "Well…? Go ahead!"

Em hesitated, then reached into her belt purse and pulled out a cord. Several long, thin pieces of metal dangled off it. She felt a little guilty turning Zarya's lock-picking lessons against her, but with the spectral dragon on the loose, that was pretty low on the priority list.

"Wait, lock picks? Is the door even locked?"

Seven eyes turned to stare at Piper. She shook her head and sighed. _Ugghhh, amateurs._ "You didn't even try the door, did you?" Piper reached for the doorknob. It turned easily. "See? Sometimes things are just that simple."

Arkayna had already moved on to the next problem. With the door wide open, they could all see the same thing: Zarya's hammock was empty. She wasn't in the room.

"Uggghh, really? She picked _now_ to run off on us?" Malvaron grumbled.

"Split up. We need to find her," Arkayna ordered.

Piper, Malvaron, and Doug immediately did as she asked, but Em just stood there, thinking. After a minute, she pulled out her phone and selected a contact. Arkayna, seeing Kasey's name lit up on the screen, stared at her. "What are you doing? This is _not_ the time to be calling your boyfriend!"

Em made a shooing motion, then her face lit up and she hit speaker. "Hey, boo. Um, this isn't a social call. I need to know: have you seen Zarya today?"

"Yeah, she showed up at Sky Pies at four in the morning, shoved three pizzas in her face, and then she and Kitty disappeared into the bridge. Why, what's up?"

Em shot a triumphant look at Arkayna, then continued, "You're still at Sky Pies? Okay, if Zarya tries to leave, stall her. We'll be there in ten minutes."

Kasey was protesting that he didn't have a death wish when Arkayna reached over and ended the call. "All right, Sky Pies it is. Malvaron, you go on ahead to the Astromancer Palace and tell them we'll be there soon. Um, but don't say why; I wanna look Nova Terron in the eye when I demand answers. Wait, where'd Proxima go? Did she leave last night?"

Malvaron shook his head. "No, she left right before I started waking you guys up. I think she's probably dealing with a lot right now."

Arkayna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I can relate. I hope she doesn't say anything."

Em and Piper were already waiting for her at the doorway. Arkayna ran to catch up with them, and the three girls hurried to the griffin stables. They rounded a corner and stopped short. Archer was pacing back and forth in front of his pen.

Arkayna shrugged. "I don't think Archer's gonna let us leave without him. Guess we have a plus one."

Piper patted the griffin on the head. "You're worried about Z too, aren't you?" The creature snorted and glared at her. She hoped that was agreement and not just restlessness.

Em was already leading Topaz out of the pen decorated with a unicorn. "Less talking, more flying. Come on!"

Arkayna and Piper disappeared into the pens of their respective griffins. A minute later, Izzie and Miss Paisley stood ready for action. They took off toward Sky Pies, and the skyship that was anchored there.

Em directed Topaz to land on the deck. Arkayna and Piper followed her lead. Kasey was waiting for them.

"Okay, they're still in there; Zarya hasn't tried to leave. Do not, under any circumstances, tell her that I told you where to find her. It's been ages since the last time she beat me up, and I wanna keep it that way."

"She won't if _I_ have anything to say about it!" Em promised. The others were already at the door; she joined them.

Arkayna reached for the handle. "You ready for this? There's probably gonna be a lot of yelling involved."

Piper and Em quickly nodded. Before Arkayna could lose her nerve, she pulled on the handle and opened the door wide.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zarya wasn't sure when recounting the Mysticons' latest adventures had devolved into a make-out session. Catching Kitty up on recent events had lasted until well after sunrise, so it had probably only been a few minutes… Not that she was complaining. Life was simpler when it was just the two of them; it always had been. Right now, there was no Necrafa, no Tazma, no spectral dragon…

A voice broke into her thoughts. "That's… not what I was expecting." It sounded suspiciously like Em.

Kitty made a small noise and broke away from her. Which meant she'd heard it too. Which, unfortunately, meant that Zarya was not imagining things. She glanced over in the direction the voice had come from.

Sure enough, the other Mysticons—in civilian form—stood in the doorway, their expressions all somewhere between shock and disbelief.

Zarya began mentally reciting the list of cuss words she'd learned during her time as a sky pirate. (It was a pretty extensive list, but she'd gotten out of the habit of saying them out loud, because Piper.) This was _not_ how she'd meant for them to find out about her relationship.

The cynical part of her mind pointed out _Well, now you being Arkayna's sister isn't the only shocking news._ She told that part of her brain to shut up; there wasn't anything that could be done about it now. She'd just have to bluff her way through it. Luckily, she had a prime distraction handy.

Zarya carefully disentangled herself from Kitty, crossed her arms over her chest, and fixed them with her scariest glare. "If you guys are here to give me a hard time about leaving, you can save your breath. I'm coming back."

Arkayna blinked, clearly thrown off. Em was the one to say, "We're not here to yell at you, we're here 'cause you ran off in the middle of the night and we were _worried_ about you."

Piper butted in, "Also, we have a big ol' baddie that needs to get taken down. And you're helping us do it."

"Okay, okay," Kitty interjected. "Food first. Have you guys eaten already?" The three party-crashers nodded. "Well, we haven't." She turned to Zarya. "Why don't you go grab us some food, and then we can discuss how we're gonna take down the Spectral Hand once and for all."

Zarya headed for the door, secretly relieved that Kitty had taken charge so quickly. Behind her, she heard Kitty saying, "And not a word out of any of you 'til she gets back."

The food was sitting out for anyone to snag, and several of the pirates had already helped themselves. Zarya noticed Kasey ducking behind another crew member. It was pretty ridiculous; the girl was a head shorter than him and was clearly telling him to get lost. Mia, that was her name. The pieces clicked together in Zarya's mind; so _that's_ how the others had found her. Kasey had sold her out. She thought it over as she grabbed enough food for herself and Kitty, and finally gave a mental shrug. _He's lucky; I've got bigger worries than beating his face in right now._

She returned to the bridge, hands full of grub. Sitting back down on the couch, she handed over half of it to Kitty. The food was gone within two minutes.

"So…" Arkayna finally began, "Umm… how much do you know, Kitty?"

"I got the important bits. Evil lich-queen, spectral dragon… oh, and it turns out this girl here is your twin sister, not the mage."

Arkayna turned an accusing look at Zarya, who shrugged. "What? We can't keep info like that from our allies; it's bad for business. Remind me how long you've even known you had a twin sister?"

Arkayna looked like she wanted to argue the point but couldn't. "So now what?"

Zarya turned a _duh_ look onto her. "We go to the Astromancer Palace and give Nova Terron a piece of our minds! Then we take down the spectral dragon and go home." The other Mysticons made sounds of agreement.

Based on Arkayna's expression, that was _exactly_ what she wanted to do. "Good plan. But first…" She grinned slyly. "How about you explain that little scene we walked in on?"

Zarya growled under her breath. "I almost thought you were gonna let that go."

"Uhh, have you _met_ Arkayna?" Em questioned. "She _never_ lets go of good gossip."

"And this is _seriously_ good gossip," Arkayna added. "Soo…?"

Zarya opened her mouth, about to tell the prissy princess where she could shove her curiosity—then stopped. Right now, it was three against one; they'd pester her all day if she didn't definitively shut this down now. She glanced over at Kitty for backup. To her surprise, her girlfriend was smirking at her, making it clear that Zarya was on her own. "Oh, fine. You have one minute to ask questions. Anything after that, and you get to experience walking the plank." She pulled out her phone and activated the stopwatch feature.

"How long have you been a thing?" Arkayna wanted to know.

"A couple weeks," Zarya answered as she watched the countdown click down.

Em stared. "That long? Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

Zarya sighed. "I couldn't figure out how to bring up the topic, all right? I'm basically faking my way through telling you now."

"Who liked who first?" Piper blurted.

Zarya glared. "None of your business."

Piper pouted. "Whatever. You guys are totally perfect for each other, though."

Zarya rolled her eyes. "That's time. _Now_ can we go kick some undead butt?"

 **Wow, that was a long one! So now the other Mysticons know that Zarya is dating Kitty, and they're cool with it, but they're still gonna tease her about it. Because what else are friends for?**

 **I debated changing the rating for this fic after writing this chapter. Eventually, I decided to leave it. The K+ rating allows for mild language, and technically I don't even use any! I figure the bit about Zarya cursing mentally is no different from the scene in "The Mask" where Choko lets out a screech and Doug scolds him for his language. And as for the kissing scene, it's nothing we haven't already seen in the show.**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Loving all the appreciation in my reviews!**

 **Strife667:** I'm glad you're enjoying… but don't forget that this fic wouldn't exist without the show! (P. S. Zarya is my favorite character too!)

 **New episode this morning! I'm so happy it's starting back up after an ELEVEN-WEEK break! Although, really, premiering a Christmas parody episode the first weekend in August? Come on, Nicktoons, get your head in the game.**

 **This chapter takes place immediately after episode 26, "The Dragon's Rage." Arkayna and Zarya have some unresolved problems that need to be addressed.**

 **Aftermath**

The celebrations were winding down. Arkayna couldn't quite believe that they'd managed to take down Necrafa once and for all, but the battle was finally over and they'd all started dancing on the palace balcony. That had been hours ago and the Mysticons had long since reverted to their civilian forms. Arkayna had hesitated at first, but then again, Nova Terron knew about her, Kasey knew about Em, and Kitty was onto all four of them. If the rest of the Astromancers and the Pink Skulls hadn't put the pieces together, none of them were as smart as she'd given them credit for. Their lack of surprise when she'd transformed from Dragon Mage to princess had proven her right.

Lost in thought, she suddenly took note of a flash of pink in a corner, behind a bush. She frowned; she'd thought all the Pink Skulls had left already. Had one stayed behind, hoping to break into the palace? She trusted them to have her back in a fight, but… well, they _were_ technically still pirates, even if they'd agreed to work for the Mysticons.

She walked over to check it out, only to find Zarya and Kitty cuddled up together in the corner. Kitty had her arm wrapped around Zarya, who was resting her head on Kitty's shoulder. It was an extremely adorable scene. Under literally _any other circumstances_ , she would have teased the older girl ( _not older; we're the same age!_ ) about being such a secret romantic, but after the events of the last two days, this really wasn't the time.

"Umm… Kitty? Could you… give us a minute?" Arkayna cringed; that hadn't come out right.

The pirate captain didn't seem to care. She flicked her perceptive gold eyes back and forth between Arkayna and Zarya a few times before replying, "You're gonna need more than just a minute." Her next words were directed toward Zarya. "I'm gonna go check out the ship, see if it can be repaired. You know how to find me if you need me." She carefully pressed a kiss to Zarya's forehead before standing to leave.

Arkayna took a seat next to Zarya. "All right, talk to me. After what happened yesterday, you locked yourself in your room and snuck out in the middle of the night. We tracked you down on the ship to find—"

Zarya glared daggers at her. "If this is about me and Kitty—"

"It's not." Arkayna held up her hand to ward off any further protests. "Really, you two are perfect for each other and I'm happy for you. Where was I? Oh, so then you got all enthusiastic about being my sister, _then_ got all distant when I told you to take it down a notch, and now I find you hiding in a corner during a party. I want an honest answer: why are you acting so weird?"

Zarya turned to stare out at nothing. "I've been an only child my whole life. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to find out I have a sister, but…" She trailed off.

"But?" Arkayna prompted her.

Zarya was silent for so long Arkayna didn't think she was going to answer. "My parents… never told me I was adopted."

" _Oh_." Arkayna had to take a moment to process that. "You didn't know?"

Zarya shook her head. "Not 'til that freaky green lightning snatched me up yesterday."

"There wasn't anything that tipped you off? I mean, I'm guessing you don't look like them," Arkayna pointed out.

"Right, 'cause you and I are _totally_ identical."

As sharply as that comment had been delivered, Arkayna was relieved. If Zarya felt like saying snarky things, she wasn't completely shell-shocked. "I guess you have a point."

Zarya started listing things off on her fingers. "My parents never treated me like I was anything other than their daughter by birth. I share enough of their coloring that I never suspected, and I know they moved to our village when I was just a baby, so no one there would have been able to tell me, either."

Arkayna digested this information. "They wouldn't have had any baby pictures of you. That didn't clue you in?"

Zarya gave a short, sarcastic laugh. "We hardly had any pictures at all. We weren't dirt poor—I've been there—but we weren't far from it. Printed pictures cost money, and magical items get more expensive the farther you are from the city. We had exactly three photographs in our home—one of my parents at their wedding, one of me as a toddler, and…" Zarya reached under her shirt collar and pulled something out. Arkayna recognized it as the necklace she'd reclaimed from Kaos, the one that had belonged to her mother. Zarya flicked something on the side; Arkayna couldn't see what it was, but she forgot about that when an image appeared in the air over the pendant.

"This was the only other photo we had."

Arkayna studied the image, which showed a human couple in their late thirties with a younger version of Zarya standing on a chair between them. She looked about seven years old, with a genuine smile on her face that Arkayna had never seen before. Her hair was longer than it was now, falling just past her shoulders, and was more purple than blue. Arkayna turned her attention to the couple. The woman had long brown hair and teal eyes a shade or two greener than Zarya's. The man had shaggy dark violet hair, gray eyes, and freckles. Both had mischievous smiles on their faces. Arkayna couldn't deny that she wouldn't have suspected the girl next to her wasn't related to them if she hadn't known better.

The image faded and Zarya tucked the pendant back under her collar. Arkayna was afraid she knew the answer, but she had to ask. "Where are they now?"

"Dead." Zarya said the single word so bluntly that Arkayna was taken aback. After a moment she added, "Me and Kitty and Kasey… our last view of our home was from the sky after we'd been captured. The village was a, a smoldering ruin. For all I know, the three of us were the only ones to survive at all. We made a pact with each other, you know, that one day we'd make Kaos pay for what he'd done to us. And we did… well, you saw how that turned out. But that doesn't bring our families back."

Arkayna didn't know what to say. She constantly complained about her annoying stepbrother and hadn't taken her lessons seriously for ages. Her parents might have been turned to bone, but they were still alive in that form, and she held out hope that they could be restored. Really, up until the day Dreadbane had broken into the palace, she'd been nothing but a lazy, spoiled princess. Meanwhile, her twin sister had lost her family, her home, and the only life she'd ever known (not to mention being kidnapped twice), all before the age of…

"Zarya… how old were you when you marooned Kaos and took over the ship?"

Zarya cast her eyes up toward the sky as if she wasn't sure. "Eleven, I think? It's a lot harder to keep track of time in the sky. Or on the streets, for that matter; I didn't realize I'd turned fifteen until after we became Mysticons."

Setting aside that new information (seriously, two eleven-year-olds had masterminded the plot to overthrow an evil pirate and take control of his ship?) Arkayna blinked at her. "When's your starday? Or, I guess, when did you think it was?"

"Seventh day of the month of the phoenix. So, yeah, I'm two months younger than I thought."

Arkayna wasn't sure how to respond to that. Zarya drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. The silence lasted for a few minutes.

"I don't want to change my name."

Arkayna didn't move, guessing this was a much bigger issue than it seemed. "I wouldn't make you do that." She paused. "I don't know if you've thought about this, but would you consider using both?"

Zarya's expression turned thoughtful. Arkayna guessed she was mentally trying out the sound of _Zarya Moonwolf-Goodfey_ _._ Finally, she shook her head. "Maybe someday… but not yet. I think I wanna keep this quiet for now."

"Why? You're a princess of Gemina; you have every right to claim that."

A hint of her usual sarcastic humor had returned to Zarya's turquoise eyes. "I'm sorry, have we met? I'm a sky pirate turned street thief. I like to mock authority figures, my criminal record's as long as any Undercity crime lord, and I have no interest in tiaras unless I can hock 'em or they double as weapons. Can you honestly picture me as a princess?"

It was a valid question. Arkayna had gained immense respect for the quick-fisted, sarcastic street rat long before finding out they were sisters (the mocking-authority-figures thing was definitely accurate; nobody else would have had the guts to mouth off to the queen of the undead), but… no. Arkayna couldn't picture her twin sister living the life of a princess. _At least, not without some refinement…_

Apparently, she'd taken too long to answer, because Zarya smirked at her and said, "Yeah, I didn't think so."

They lapsed into silence again. This time, Arkayna was the one to break it. "Will you hit me if I try to hug you?"

"…No."

Zarya didn't get the chance to say anything else; Arkayna had already wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

Arkayna let go and scooted back to where she'd been sitting before. "For what it's worth… I already thought of you as a sister. Em and Piper, too."

"Almost dying a bunch of times _does_ tend to bring people closer together."

Arkayna was about to retort _Oh, and you know this from experience?_ Luckily, something else occurred to her and she caught herself. "That's why you and Kitty are so close?"

"Yeah." Zarya stood up. "I'm gonna hit the hammock; it's been an eventful couple days."

She left the balcony, walking through the hallways toward the lair. Arkayna followed her.

"One more question: would you change it if you could? Would you keep Nova Terron from kidnapping you and grow up in the palace with me?"

Zarya didn't hesitate. "No. And I don't care what you say. I've helped a lot of people by living the life I've had. Piper never would have survived on the streets without someone to look after her. The other street kids relied on us to bring them food and gold. The Pink Skulls would still be prisoners, and there'd probably be more of them."

Arkayna couldn't help but be a little amused. Zarya looked back at her when she didn't answer right away. "What's that look for, princess?"

"You… you're actually a nice person, aren't you?"

Zarya's face turned the color of a strawberry slush-gulpie. "Don't you _dare_ go spreading a vicious rumor like that."

Arkayna giggled; things were _definitely_ getting back to normal between them. "Watch yourself, or I'll buy you a sparkly pink quill for our sister diaries."

" _Super_ hard pass on the sister diaries," Zarya scoffed. "And anything pink and sparkly will find itself in Piper's possession sooner rather than later. Also, if you so much as mention teleportation bracelets, you'd better run."

Arkayna cringed. "I'm _never_ touching teleportation bracelets again. How about… we start with giving you a haircut? Those ragged edges you've got make it look like you cut it yourself."

Zarya stopped abruptly and turned around, glaring. "First of all? I _do_ cut it myself, and I'd like to see you do a better job. Second, I'm not—I repeat, _not_ —going to change myself to meet some ridiculous standard of princessery. Ever."

Arkayna tried a different tack. "Okay, just an idea. Maybe… I could teach you all about the history of the realm, and you could… umm…"

"I could teach you how to pick pockets." Zarya had stopped glaring, but her expression didn't give away her feelings one way or the other.

"Deal." Although Arkayna wasn't sure when such a skill would come in handy. Oh well, she'd deal with that little detail another time. For now, she was just happy about getting to spend some time with her sister.

 **Based on what little Zarya has said about her family, I think it's pretty unlikely that she knew she was adopted prior to "Twin Stars Unite.". So, I put together a story that seemed plausible with that idea. (We know she** _ **had**_ **a family; Mysticon trading cards, you are** _ **wrong.**_ **) Most of the things that Arkayna and Zarya are discussing here are the same things that Zarya said to Kitty off-screen in the previous chapter.**

 **Before anyone asks, yes, Zarya's comment about tiaras doubling as weapons is a reference to Sailor Moon. (If the transformation sequences are any indication, Mysticons is already partially inspired by Sailor Moon anyway, so it wasn't that much of a stretch.)**

 **I inserted a bit of my own personal experience here: Arkayna's line about Zarya hitting her in response to a hug is one I've often had directed at me.**

 **I promise that this is the end of the serious stuff. Next chapter, we'll get back to the light, humorous adventures. It might be a while, though; life's gonna be pretty crazy for the next few weeks. I'll try to post at least one chapter before school starts back up at the end of the month.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sooo… I know I promised last chapter that I was done with the serious stuff. Unfortunately, I realized after the fact that this chapter had to come before the one I'd originally planned to be next. So I ended up switching them around. The next chapter is done, except for some mild tweaking now that it's after this one, so it should be up within a week**

 **Guest reviewer 9:** No way! Zarya's hairstyle suits her personality so perfectly!

 **This chapter takes place in between Episode 27, "The Mask" and Episode 28, "Save the Date!" It stems from an idea I had about magical sources.**

 **Ideas**

Piper had been watching Malvaron shuffle around the hideout for the past ten minutes. Seriously, whatever he was looking for, he could just _ask_ her about it. But he hadn't even seemed to notice that she was watching him.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She was opening her mouth to ask what he was looking for when Em walked into the room. The blonde girl stopped short when she saw Malvaron, who was currently poking through the couch cushions. She raised her eyebrows at Piper, as if she was asking, _What's going on?_ Piper shrugged at her. _I have no idea!_

Em walked up behind Malvaron, who had finished with the couch cushions and was now trying to lift the couch altogether to look underneath it. "Something we can help you find?"

Malvaron made a startled noise and fell forward onto the couch he'd been trying to lift. After a moment, he stood back up and turned around. "I'm looking for my spell pad. Have either of you seen it?"

Piper and Em both shook their heads. Malvaron sighed and went back to trying to lift the couch. They watched him at it for a few more minutes.

None of them heard Arkayna walk in. She stopped, seeing the amused expressions that Em and Piper were wearing. Malvaron was now trying to make Choko move (the foz had developed an annoying habit of sitting on their devices lately) but Choko wasn't having any of it.

Malvaron looked up at the three girls. "You know, you _could_ offer to help me look for it."

"What are we looking for?" Arkayna wanted to know.

"I can't find my spell pad anywhere. Can you guys help me look?"

Arkayna blinked. "Your spell pad? I think I saw Zarya with it earlier. She's in her room now; why don't you go ask her?"

"Why would she…" Malvaron trailed off. "You know what, I don't care. As long as she's got it and doesn't mind handing it over." He headed down the hallway in the direction of Zarya's room.

The door was slightly open; he knocked and pushed it open the rest of the way. Zarya was draped crossways over her hammock, with her feet dangling off one side and her head hanging over the other side so she was looking at everything upside down. She held the spell pad in front of her face, swiping at something. It didn't seem to be doing what she wanted; the frustration on her face was evident. She looked up at his approach, scowling.

Malvaron blinked at her. "Are you… trying to guess my password?"

Zarya snorted. "No." He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she added—a little _too_ casually, "I already know your password."

Malvaron made a choking noise. Zarya smirked at him. "Seriously, just ask her out already. But that's beside the point. I'm actually doing important research right now, but for whatever reason, I can't find what I'm looking for on here."

"What, exactly, are you looking for?" Malvaron asked.

Zarya sighed as she shifted in her hammock until she was sitting upright with her legs crossed, then tossed the spell pad at him. He barely managed to catch it.

"I just want to know about some stuff." Zarya suddenly looked over at him with a different expression than she'd had earlier. "Wait, you're a mage. You know about magic and stuff. I can ask you my questions and probably get better answers than a net article."

Malvaron wasn't sure he wanted to ask, but… "What is it you wanted to know?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but… okay, magic is neutral, right? It's not good or evil by itself, only by what purpose you choose to use it?"

"That's right." Malvaron was nodding. "So…?"

"So… magic from an evil source can be used for good without corrupting either the source or the end result?"

Malvaron stared at her. "Where'd you even learn that? Magical theory isn't taught outside mage academies. Were you ever enrolled as a Starling?"

Zarya snorted again. "Like my family could have afforded that? No, I got it from your notes."

"So… what's the point of all this?"

Zarya turned so she was facing him, her expression now deadly serious. "I want to know if there's a way that we could drain Tazma of her magic and infuse it into the Codex."

Malvaron was struck speechless. This girl, who had no magical talent or any training whatsoever, had hit upon a way to solve multiple problems at once. Draining Tazma's magic would ensure that the shadowmage couldn't cause any more harm, and infusing the magic into the Codex would restore its power (the number-one goal of that still being the restoration of the king and queen). It would be a wonderful idea… if it worked.

"In theory, it should work. But we'll need to get the Astromancers' support first; this isn't the kind of magic that one person can work alone."

Zarya nodded. "I'm gonna hold you to that."

 **I know this one's kinda short, but I wanted to get this idea out there. I've got a handful of filler-type scenes that all take place between "The Mask" and "Happily Never After." I'll post them in chronological order, and I promise the next one will be longer.**

 **Random thought: does it seem weird to anyone else that Zarya's the only one with a non-mythological creature as the source of her power? (Not complaining; I love wolves.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**This is just a stupid little idea that decided my brain was a good place to land. It takes place in between Episode 27, "The Mask" and Episode 28, "Save the Date!" It also takes place chronologically right after the previous chapter.**

 **I own nothing!**

 **Truth or Dare**

The Mysticons were bored. It had been a week since the undersea mission to destroy Necrafa's mask, and nothing else had happened since. It was a very odd feeling, knowing that the greatest evil that Gemina had ever know was destroyed. Arkayna and Piper assumed that meant that their mission was now over. Em and Zarya thought the fact that they still had their powers indicated otherwise. But they hadn't needed to _use_ those powers recently, and boredom had set in yesterday.

Piper suggested a trip to the mall, but that was quickly vetoed by Arkayna. Zarya brought up going to the arcade, but the others shot her down unanimously. Finally, Em, knowing that Zarya liked to cause trouble when she was bored, made a suggestion she thought the older girl would like. "How about we play Truth or Dare?"

The others looked intrigued, but Arkayna was the one to ask, "With what rules?"

Em considered. "Umm… everyone has to do at least one truth and at least one dare. If dares will take longer than ten minutes, the one doing the dare has a week to complete it after the game." She eyed Piper. "And let's keep it kid-friendly, okay?"

"Hey! I'm not a kid!" Piper protested.

"Yes, you are," Zarya told her.

Piper pouted.

After they'd all nodded agreement, Arkayna decided, "It was your idea, Em, so you go first!"

Em's gaze landed on Zarya first. "Okay, Z, truth or dare?"

Zarya didn't even think about it. "Truth."

Em hadn't been expecting that. She fumbled for a question and settled on, "How did you and Kitty meet?"

Zarya burst out laughing. The others looked at her like she was nuts until she got herself under control. "Sorry about that. Okay, so when I was four, I was at this place that our village called a park but was really just the front yard of the school. I saw this other girl my age playing with a ball, and I went over and asked if I could play too. She said no… so I shoved her into a mud puddle. Only she somehow wrapped her arm around mine, and I ended up in the puddle too. We wrestled for a couple minutes before we both just sat back and started laughing. Then she told me, 'You're all right' and invited me to her house to clean up. Her mom was _not_ happy with us, but we were inseparable after that."

"Of _course_ that's the story." Arkayna rolled her eyes. "I don't know _why_ I thought it wouldn't be violent."

"That's actually a really good story!" Piper exclaimed.

"Sure is… you're up, princess. Truth or dare?"

Arkayna replied, "Dare" before she'd thought it through.

The grin on Zarya's face became downright diabolical. "I dare you…" she said slowly, drawing out the words, "to sneak into the Astromancer Palace and paint graffiti on the wall."

Arkayna stared. "Vandalism? Zarya, that's a _crime_. I could get arrested."

"Nobody's gonna arrest you, _Princess Dragon Mage._ Besides, your criminal record could use some improvement."

"I don't have a criminal record," Arkayna replied, frowning.

Zarya snorted. "Right. That wasn't _you_ I was giving pickpocketing lessons to every day this week; it was your evil twin. Oh, wait, _I'm_ your evil twin."

Arkayna made an indignant choking noise.

"Enough!" Piper broke in. "Look, Arkayna, you got dared. That means you have to do it. And Zarya's got a point; no one will arrest the princess."

" _Fine._ " Arkayna rolled her eyes. "I assume this will take more than ten minutes? So I'm not doing it now."

"All right… but you have to prove you _did_ do it a week from now," Em agreed.

The game continued. Em admitted that she was terrified of spiders—a fear that seemed trivial now, but that she couldn't seem to shake. Piper gleefully balanced a bucket of water on top of Gawayne's door after being dared to do it by Arkayna. Zarya, as expected, picked Dare every round after getting her obligatory Truth out of the way. She'd racked up quite a few dares for the next week when Em decided that this would be the last round.

It was Arkayna's turn. She wanted to pay Zarya back for daring her to _vandalize the Astromancer Palace_ , but Zarya was annoyingly cheerful about accepting risky dares. The girl was a _serious_ adrenaline junkie. Still, Arkayna turned to her sister and asked, "Truth or dare?"

As expected, Zarya replied, "Dare" immediately.

Arkayna took a moment to think about it. She didn't consciously come up with anything—but what came out of her mouth was, "I dare you to try on my tiara."

Zarya looked like she'd just swallowed a lemon. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Arkayna was starting to think this had been an _excellent_ idea, even if she hadn't exactly done it on purpose. She pulled off her tiara and held it out. "Here."

Zarya eyed the circlet like she thought the dragon head might suddenly come to life and bite her hand. Yes, Arkayna was definitely enjoying this.

"Oh, fine." Zarya snatched the tiara from Arkayna's hand and stood up, leaving the room.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Piper demanded.

"To find a mirror." Zarya's tone implied that the answer should have been obvious. The others hesitated a minute, then jumped up all at the same time and ran after her.

Once in front of the mirror, Zarya carefully placed the tiara on top of her head. She stared at her reflection for a moment, then started laughing again. "Yep, this looks just as ridiculous as I thought it would and I'm never doing it again." She quickly pulled it back off. Tossing it back at Arkayna, she added, "Well played."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Two days later…**

Malvaron burst into the hideout, where the Mysticons were playing video games. (Arkayna, Em and Piper had teamed up to try to take down Zarya, and she was _still_ defeating them easily.) "Hey, guys. You've been summoned. Nova T. wants to see you all, on the double."

"In uniform, or as ourselves?" Em wanted to know.

"I think civilian form should be fine. The secret's out now; they know who you are."

Piper shrugged. "Whatever. He probably wants to yell at us for something. Let's just get this over with. To the griffins!" She made a silly face as she headed for the door.

Arkayna had a feeling she knew what this was about, and she had to fight a smile the entire way. Once they'd landed, a lower-level mage showed them to the corridor where the rest of the Astromancers were waiting. Nova Terron stood at the front, scowling.

"Oh, good, you're here. Now—I demand to know which one of you is responsible for this!" The Star-Master pulled a sheet of canvas off the wall to reveal the Mysticon symbol that had been painted there. It was bright blue and more than a foot tall.

The shocked silence was broken by Zarya, who had collapsed on the floor, absolutely _howling_ with laughter. She stayed like that for almost a minute before finally managing to bring herself under control.

Nova Terron narrowed his eyes at her. "Mysticon Ranger. I knew it."

"Whoa, whoa." Zarya choked off the rest of her laughter as she held up a hand. "Much as I'd love to take the credit for this _awesomeness_ , this one was all on _her_." She pointed to the princess.

Arkayna stared, incredulous. "Excuse me?! I wouldn't have gone _near_ this if you hadn't dared me to do it!"

Zarya was still looking at the wall. "Did you deliberately try to frame me by using blue paint? Because if you did, I'm impressed. I didn't think you had it in you."

Arkayna groaned. "No, it was just the first paint I found."

"Awww, too bad." Zarya looked disappointed. "It's never as cool when you don't do it on purpose."

That did it. Arkayna launched herself at Zarya with a screech. A short scuffle ensued. When the dust settled, Arkayna was lying on the floor. Zarya was sitting on her back, knees pressed into Arkayna's shoulders so she couldn't move her arms. The princess groaned; seriously, she knew three kinds of martial arts, but it had taken a matter of _seconds_ for Zarya to pin her to the floor.

"You done?" Zarya asked her.

Arkayna grunted.

"I'll take that as a yes." Zarya got up, being none too gentle, and hauled Arkayna to her feet.

As Arkayna was brushing herself off, she noticed that Gandobi was staring at her. "Your sister is rather… uncouth."

Arkayna snorted. "Understatement of the century."

"I have a criminal record that would stretch halfway across this room. Of course I'm uncouth." Zarya considered. "Maybe I should just go back to the Pink Skulls; I've been thinking about that anyway."

Arkayna eyed her. "You are ridiculously proud of your criminal record."

Zarya shrugged, unapologetic. "It kept me alive, didn't it?"

Arkayna couldn't argue with that.

Nova Terron was frowning. "What are Pink Skulls?"

"They're the pirates that help us out every now and then. I used to be one of them before I came to Drake City, and I think it might be time to go back."

Piper snorted. "Of course, this decision has _nothing_ to do with the fact that you're snoodling a certain pirate captain."

Zarya glared at the elf. "Kitty and I do not _snoodle_." Pointing at Em, she added, "We _also_ do not call each other silly nicknames… or awkwardly dance around our feelings." That last bit had been directed toward Arkayna.

Em and Arkayna promptly turned scarlet, and Malvaron probably would have been the same color if his darker complexion hadn't hidden it. Still, Em found the courage somewhere to snark back, "Sure you don't… _Z-Star._ "

Piper was in the way, or Em would have been pinned to the floor as fast as Arkayna had been, based on Zarya's expression as she growled, "Only _Kitty_ is allowed to call me that."

"Enough!" Quasarla interrupted them. "Since the Dragon Mage claims she wouldn't have done this without the Ranger's influence, you can _both_ clean up this mess. _Without_ magic!"

Zarya shrugged. "Whatever."

Arkayna's eyes bugged out. "I've never cleaned anything in my _life_! How does it even work?"

"Welcome to how _normal_ people live, princess." Arkayna could practically hear Zarya rolling her eyes. "You put soap and water in a _biiig_ bucket, and then scrub at it with a sponge. Where can I find all that stuff in this creepy building?"

One of the mages they didn't know pointed at the floor near the wall. The supplies appeared in a puff of smoke. Without warning, Zarya grabbed Arkayna's arm and dragged her over. "Here, I'll do this side and you can do that side. You better pick up on how to do this quick, 'cause I'm not sticking around after I'm done with my half."

Arkayna picked up the sponge, completely speechless., and started copying what Zarya was doing. Em and Piper both stared. Most of the mages had left, but Nova Terron was still standing there, frowning. Finally, he said, "This is not a task suitable for princesses."

"Thanks to _you_ , I'm not a princess. And I'm so totally not doing it all myself." Zarya didn't look away from the wall. Her half of the cleanup was almost finished. "Now leave us alone. You've meddled in our lives enough." She set down the sponge, done with her scrubbing. "I'm out." She walked through the door and was gone.

Arkayna stared after her, shivering. She'd known from the beginning that Zarya had a temper, but this was the first time she'd realized that her sister was also capable of such icy disdain. She half expected to see ice crystals forming in the air in response to Zarya's tone. It was unnerving, really.

 **Like I said, this is really stupid, but I did have fun writing it. I had the idea before the premiere of "Game of Phones" but Zarya's reaction to wearing a tiara in that episode is about what I imagined. I also enjoyed making up a backstory for how Zarya met Kitty (I hope they tell us at some point!).**

 **I may take a break from this fic for a while. I have a few more scenes pretty much done, but I'm also working on a couple other fics at the moment, and I want to catch up with the new episodes that have premiered the last few weeks. (I saw "The Foz Who Saved Lotus Night," when it aired on TV, but the three most recent episodes haven't been posted to yet. :( So I want to see those before I write anything new.)**


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter takes place in between "Save the Date!" and "Happily Never After," as do the next two. I'll post them chronologically. Enjoy!**

 **I do not own Mysticons.**

 **Date Crashers**

Arkayna was pacing around the hideout, trying to figure out what to do first. The place really was a mess, and she wasn't sure where to start.

Piper was watching her. "Whatcha' doing?"

"Trying to come up with a plan," Arkayna replied. "Seriously. This place is a pigsty, and we have nothing better to do, so we should clean it up for once, now that we've got some free time—and where do you think you're going?" She whirled around to face Zarya standing by the door.

"None of your business," Zarya snapped back.

"If you're trying to get out of helping us clean, you're not going anywhere," Arkayna declared.

"If you _must_ know," Zarya said, rolling her eyes, "I'm going on a date."

She'd said the one thing guaranteed to make teenage girls pay attention. Em and Piper both perked up, and Arkayna practically teleported over to the door, the hideout's messy state forgotten.

"You have a date tonight? Why didn't you tell us? And you can't wear that," Arkayna gushed.

Zarya took a long moment to look down and take stock of her outfit. In a carefully neutral voice, she asked, "Why not?"

Arkayna frowned. "Because—dates! You need to look nice!" She paused. "I know. Tell me where you're going, and I'll put something together for you."

Zarya eyed the door, sorely tempted to make a run for it, but Arkayna was standing between her and the exit. She finally answered, "We're getting Snorg balls and then people-watching in the Undercity. Maybe at street level too."

Em blinked. "That's… low-key."

"Yeah, that was on purpose." Zarya took a moment to absorb their expressions, then sighed. "I dunno if you've noticed, but we're oh for two on first dates right now. I do not want to plan some elaborate outing that'll be totally ruined if some monster shows up. Better to keep it simple."

Arkayna and Em flinched, no doubt thinking of the disasters that their own first dates had resulted in. Before they could say anything, however, a knock sounded at the door.

Zarya grinned. "That'll be my date."

She started walking over to the door. Before she got there, it opened, and a curly-haired head popped through it. "Hey, girl. You ready to hit the streets? Snorg balls aren't gonna eat themselves, you know! Oh…" She trailed off as she noticed the others standing around, then grinned. "What up, Mysticon-y people?"

Zarya flung her arm around the other girl's shoulder. "Let's go." She quickly herded Kitty out the door and closed it firmly behind her.

Em was staring at the closed door. "Did she seriously just refer to us as 'Mysticon-y people'?"

Arkayna wasn't paying attention. "So… we're following them, right? To make sure nothing bad happens?"

Piper eyed the princess. "You sure _that's_ why you wanna do this?"

Arkayna shrugged. Piper sighed. "For the record, this is a terrible idea, and Zarya will kill us all when she catches us."

Em was already at the door. "Aww, come on. She won't catch us. It'll be fun!"

Piper rolled her eyes as she followed the others. "I made my objections known!" she yelled at their backs.

xxxxxxxxxx

Snorg balls in hand, Zarya and Kitty returned to street level and made their way through the city, laughing as they reminisced about old times. They'd done this a million times before, but they were holding hands this time; that part was new.

"…And remember the time Kasey ate all the cookies from the cookie jar and blamed it on us?" Kitty was saying.

"Ha! Yeah, but mostly I remember how we got him back." Zarya snickered. "We didn't really…" She trailed off. "Did you see that?"

Kitty looked around. "I don't see anything unusual, but I don't know the streets like you do. What is it?"

"I thought I just saw someone duck around that corner there." Zarya eyed a large store window. "We might be being followed. Let's walk over there and check." She started heading for it, easing the daggers that she kept hidden in her sleeves into her hands. Kitty frowned, not getting it, but followed. Once they were in front of the window, she started searching it intently.

"What are you looking for?" Kitty wanted to know.

"I'm checking the reflection to see if there's someone following us or not. Spoiler: there is, and it's three someones, not one."

Kitty glanced behind the way they'd come. "I don't see anyone. Can you tell who it is?"

"Yeah; a dwarf, an elf, and a princess."

It only took a second for Kitty to get it. "Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me."

Zarya rolled her eyes. "Believe me, Arkayna's not _nearly_ as stealthy as she thinks she is."

" _Please_ tell me you have a plan to deal with this."

Zarya grinned. "I _always_ have a plan. Follow my lead."

The two girls continued walking, Zarya eyeing every reflective surface they passed to gauge the timing of their pursuers. A few minutes in, she nudged Kitty. "We'll turn down that alleyway over there. Wait seven seconds, then turn around."

Kitty shrugged. "Okay."

They turned into the alley, one of the less-creepy ones, but still with plenty of trash and boxes piled up. When Zarya saw the flash of green zip around the corner and then duck back, she elbowed Kitty in the side. "Show time."

The couple turned around only a second before Arkayna, Em, and Piper peeked out. Zarya glared at them, arms crossed. "Busted."

Arkayna almost tripped in her surprise. "Sorry! Wrong alley!" She tried to make a run for it, but Zarya had grabbed her collar in a vicelike grip.

"Yeah, nice try. Seriously, did you think I wouldn't notice you following us? Is this your idea of a fun evening: spying on my date?"

"No!" Arkayna protested. "You were all worried about something ruining your date, so I thought if we followed you we could take care of it without it affecting you!"

Zarya released Arkayna's collar and threw her hands up in disgust. "I was worried about evil pirates or blob-monsters or shadow-mages! Looks like what I shoulda been worried about was nosy sisters who don't know how to mind their own business!"

"We messed up, Arkayna. Admit it." That was Em. "You two are plenty capable of kicking butt on your own. We'll head home now." She and Piper quickly herded Arkayna away from the furious Zarya.

As they walked away, Piper grumbled, "I told you this was a bad idea," loudly enough for Zarya to hear her.

Zarya turned to Kitty, still fuming. "Can you believe the nerve of those three?!"

 **Remember back in Chapter 4 when I promised that I wouldn't let this whole fic turn into a rom-com? Well, I meant it… but one chapter isn't the whole fic! *evil laugh* This chapter is** _ **such**_ **a cliché, but I think it works. (You can definitely tell I've watched one too many teen sitcoms.) This chapter and the next one were kinda hard for me to write, but I think they turned out okay.**

 **I'm rewatching the entire series from the beginning at the moment, and I've realized I'm now unable to hear their banter as anything other than flirting.**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I won't torture you too long… This chapter is sort of a follow-up to the previous one.**

 **Guest reviewer 14:** Hey, no spoilers! I haven't seen the episode yet! Though I'll admit I was hopeful when I first learned the title of it…

 **I don't own Mysticons. If I did, I wouldn't be posting this stuff on a free fanfic website!**

 **Second Chances**

Zarya entered her room. She was still mad at the others for crashing her first real date, and she'd been giving them the silent treatment all week. That had worked out well until she'd somehow misplaced her phone; now she had no video games to play. Still, they were the ones who'd messed up; she wasn't going to let up until they admitted it and apologized.

A knock on her door startled her. She scowled; couldn't they see she was still mad at them? Still, she walked over and opened the door—if only to slam it shut in their faces. She was completely unprepared to find Kitty standing on the other side.

"What are you doing here? I mean, not that I'm not happy to see you or anything—" Zarya shut up. It was so much harder to talk normally after ignoring everybody for days on end.

Kitty looked confused. "For our date? You glyphed me yesterday, saying you wanted to try again without telling the others this time so they couldn't ruin it for us?"

Now Zarya's expression matched Kitty's. "I lost my phone two days ago; I didn't glyph you anything."

"It was us." Zarya looked around to see Arkayna standing down the hall with Em and Piper at her back. "We felt bad about following you, so we decided to set up a new date for you as our way of saying we're sorry. Oh, and we borrowed your phone to set it up." She tossed Zarya's phone through the air.

Zarya caught the device and turned a death glare onto her twin sister. "I'm still mad at you."

Arkayna shrugged. "You're talking to me now; that's progress."

Zarya cursed internally.

"Seriously. Just come with us, and then we'll leave you lovebirds to it." Piper giggled.

The three started down the hallway into the main palace. Kitty eyed Zarya. "So… do we go with them, or do we make a run for it?"

Zarya shrugged. "I gotta say, I'm curious. Worst comes to worst, we can always hit 'em over the head with a frying pan and tie 'em up before we make our escape."

"I heard that!" Piper yelled behind her.

"Good!" Zarya yelled back.

They'd made it out onto the balcony, and Arkayna dramatically gestured toward the setup. "We ordered you five deluxe Sky Pies with the works—"

Piper broke in. "—Half a dozen orders of Snorg balls—"

"—And that cooler over there is filled with dragonberry smoothies," Em finished.

"And this time, there's no chance of us accidentally crashing your date, because we're leaving." Arkayna smiled triumphantly.

Zarya had raised an eyebrow at _accidentally_ , but what she really wanted to know was "Where are you going?"

"To the elven craft fair!" Piper blurted. "Turns out Arkayna loves it! And no amount of threats, bribes, or begging has gotten _you_ back there."

Em was grinning. "So—are we good now, Z?"

Zarya rolled her eyes. "Whatever. As long as you're serious about leaving."

"Wait a minute." Everyone turned to look at Kitty, who'd been silent until now. "What about your brother? I kinda doubt he'll be too happy to walk out here and find two sky pirates having a date on his balcony."

Arkayna smirked; her resemblance to Zarya was suddenly terrifying. "Please, you think I didn't take care of that? He's locked in his rooms, and I told his butler to take a well-deserved night off. He's not getting out of there until I let him out." She considered. "Hmmm… maybe I'll leave him in there for a few days…"

"Or until he glyphs somebody and makes them come save him," Zarya pointed out.

Arkayna produced something from her sleeve. "Not without his phone, he won't."

Zarya grinned. "Putting those pickpocketing lessons to good use, I see. Impressive. But don't _ever_ crash my date again."

"We won't," Em promised, with a pointed look at Arkayna. "So… we're gonna go now."

Zarya watched to make sure they were actually leaving, then went over to check out the food. There was plenty, even considering how much they both ate, and the others had given them lots of privacy by leaving. _Maybe I was a little hard on them…_ She banished the thought from her mind; they deserved every bit of scorn she'd directed at them for _spying on her first date!_

Kitty had flopped onto the couch and helped herself to the pizza. "Yum."

"Hey, you don't get all of it! This is supposed to be a date!" Zarya protested.

"Nobody's stopping you," Kitty replied through a mouthful of cheese. "Have at it."

Zarya didn't need a second invitation. She sat down on the armrest and grabbed a slice in each hand, then looked over at Kitty. "I bet I can eat more pizza than you."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "There's only five pies here. I eat more than that every time I win a pie-eating contest."

They settled in to eat the rest of it in comfortable silence. There was only half a pie left when Zarya decided to ask a question that had been bothering her for a while. "Hey Kitty… does it bother you at all that you're technically dating a princess of Gemina?"

Kitty immediately reached over and began patting Zarya's head. Zarya could only sputter, " _What_ are you _doing_?!"

"Seeing if you hit your head on something. You don't usually ask silly questions—" Kitty broke off as Zarya swatted at her.

"Hey! I was serious!"

"Well, in that case…" Kitty leaned back and looked up at the darkening sky. "No. You've been my best friend since forever, and I know you better than anyone. You said it yourself—you're really only a princess on a technicality right now, but if you decide to go through with it and become one for real, you'll still be my girl. Not that I can really see you doing that."

"Awww…" Zarya leaned in closer and kicked her feet over the armrest as she ordered, "Pie me."

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "You're so lucky I'm choosing to interpret that as 'Hand you another slice of pizza' and not 'Hit you in the face with a chocolate cream pie'.

Zarya turned her head slightly, appearing mildly interested. "You have a chocolate cream pie?"

"No," Kitty admitted. Zarya reached over and flicked her in the head. "Hey! What was that for?"

"For getting my hopes up." Zarya returned to her pizza.

"Oh, ha ha."

The pies gone, they cuddled up on the couch. It was fully dark now, and the stars could be seen clearly.

"Tell me about your friends."

Zarya looked over, startled. "Tell you what? You've met them, you know what they're like."

Kitty shook her head. "I wanna know what _you_ think of them."

"Well…" Zarya leaned back and stared up at the stars, then slowly began, "I've known Piper the longest. I'd been in Drake City for about two weeks when I found her. She was digging through the trash for food, and I knew the store owners threw rocks at all the street rats they caught going through their dumpster. So I told her if she came with me and Choko, I'd show her a safer place to get food, and she did. Pretty soon we had a nice scam going—Piper'd serve as a distraction while Choko and I picked pockets. I've never regretted taking her in." Zarya paused a moment, then admitted, "Sometimes we forget how smart she is. She's really immature, but she's also _freakishly_ perceptive."

Kitty took a moment to absorb that. "Continue."

"Em is the nicest person I've ever met. She's always trying to make people happy. I seriously think Arkayna and I would've ripped each other's heads off ages ago if we didn't have Em around to play peacekeeper." Zarya snickered. "Don't be fooled by that, though—if Kasey ever messes up, Em's just as capable of kicking his butt as we are."

Kitty smirked. "Duly noted."

Zarya continued, "She's gotten way more assertive since I first met her; guess that's what happens when you stick a magic sword in someone's hand. You definitely don't want to make her angry." She considered for a moment, then added, "To be honest, I think sometimes Em feels guilty 'cause she's got a big family and the rest of us… don't."

Kitty processed that. "And… Arkayna?"

Zarya was quiet for a long time. "What do you want me to say about Arkayna? We butted heads constantly when we first met. Still do, to be fair, but now it's more about silly little things." She considered for a moment. "I used to think she was silly and shallow, not to mention lazy and spoiled, but… she's just really sheltered. The worst that's ever happened to her was in the last few months… not like us, fighting for our lives before we were twelve. I never made a habit of imagining a sister when I was a kid, but… I did think about it from time to time. She's _nothing_ like I pictured, but at this point, I wouldn't trade her for anything. She's a great leader and fighter, and she'll make an amazing queen someday." Zarya eyed Kitty. " _Never_ tell her I said any of that."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "No worries. Although… what makes you think she'll be queen?"

"Well, it sure as hex isn't gonna be me!" Zarya thought for a minute. "To be honest, I miss the sky life. I've mentioned the possibility of going back to the Pink Skulls before, but I wonder what Arkayna would do if I actually went through with it." She pointed up at the sky. "Look—the Hero's Crown is so bright tonight."

The couple settled into watching the stars and telling the old stories. Zarya wasn't sure how much time had passed when she heard a noise behind her. Turning, she saw the others standing awkwardly in the open doorway. For once, she was in too good a mood to scowl at them, but she did raise an eyebrow. "Do you mind?"

Arkayna stared. "You do realize it's been _hours_ since we left? The elven craft fair's closed. I actually didn't think you'd still be out here."

Kitty frowned. "What time is it?"

Em checked her phone. "It's… eleven forty-three."

Kitty shot out of her seat as though propelled by a rocket. "What?! I promised my crew I'd be back by midnight!"

Piper giggled. "You have a curfew?"

Kitty spared a second to shoot the elf a dirty look. "Of course I don't have a _curfew_. But how will they trust me to lead them if I don't keep my word? I'll never make it back in time…" she mumbled.

"Sure you will." Zarya stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a shrill whistle. A moment later, Archer landed lightly on the balcony. She turned to Kitty, grinning. "Ever ride a griffin before?"

 **They're such a cute couple…**

 **Okay, I know Zarya's story about how she met Piper isn't what we saw in the show. But here's the thing. Piper is an elf. She's a hundred and ten years old as of "A Girl and Her Gumlump," but has the appearance (and the maturity level) of an eleven-year-old human. Therefore, either elves remain infants for a hundred years and then age at the same rate as humans for the rest of their lives, or they have a lifespan that's ten times longer than a human's, resulting in slower aging. The first option just didn't make sense to me, so I decided to go with the second one, which assumes that Piper's dream at the beginning of "Lost and Found" was just that—a dream, not true to reality.**

 **I feel like this chapter is a nice blend of silly and serious.**

 **Please continue to read, review, and enjoy!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm all caught up now; Nickelodeon finally loaded the last few episodes onto their website! Although I have to say, I was** _ **extremely**_ **disappointed with "The Princess and the Pirate." Gahhh… every time Zarya and Kitty started arguing, I'd yell at my computer screen, "Oh, just make out already! It's painfully obvious that you want to!"**

 **Anyway… This chapter was inspired by the thought that the Mysticons probably wanted to get away for a while after everything that had happened and just be normal teenagers instead of heroes for a change.**

 **Beach Day**

After the events of the last couple weeks, the Mysticons were in _serious_ need of some rest and relaxation. Arkayna had been the one to suggest a beach day, saying she knew just the place. The others all jumped on board immediately (it was summer now, and the days had gotten very warm). One of them was hanging back, though, with a frown on her face.

"Can I make a rule about this?" Piper wanted to know.

The other three all looked at each other. "A rule?" Em asked, confused.

"Yeah. I've been playing seventh wheel a _lot_ lately, so I just wanna say: no boyfriends." Piper could practically _hear_ Zarya smirking. She whirled on her. "Or girlfriends! No pirates, no mages, just the four of us hanging out and having fun."

Em considered, then nodded. "That seems fair."

Malvaron stuck his head around the corner. "What's going on?"

"We're having a beach day!" Arkayna cheerfully replied.

"And you're _not_ invited," Piper added. She stuck her tongue out as she passed him, heading to her own room.

"Uhh… did I miss something?" Malvaron wanted to know.

Zarya grinned at him. "Piper's sick of being left out, so she's not letting any of us bring a date."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The four of them got off the bus at a stop that Arkayna claimed was only about a half mile from their destination. She'd been reluctant to tell them what it was, and so far, nobody had asked. She led the way down a small dirt road, bordered on both sides by ornamental shrubs. Finally, they rounded a turn and saw the small building before them. Arkayna pointed. "There it is, girls."

They immediately dashed inside to change. Arkayna emerged wearing a green bikini top with a matching sarong-style bottom that reached her knees. She'd pulled her long hair into a braid. Piper had a pink and gold one-piece swimsuit, with a large ribbon on the front tied in a bow. Matching bows were tied around her pigtails. Em was rocking a violet tankini and had a pair of sunglasses perched on top of her head. Zarya was wearing a cropped white tankini top with a sky-blue silhouette of a foz on it, and shorts in the same shade of blue. She'd pulled her hair into a short, spiky ponytail, and was holding a water bottle. That wasn't what made Arkayna do a double take, however.

Zarya noticed her staring. "What?"

Arkayna fumbled for words. "You… You're… Have you always been that… muscular?"

Zarya took a step back and glanced in the mirror. In the most deadpan tone she could muster, she replied, "Oh. That. Yeah, I work out."

Arkayna's eyes bulged. _Work out? I work out every day, and I'm not even_ _ **close**_ _to being that toned!_

"Hey, Arkayna? Who owns this place, anyway?" It was Piper asking.

Annnd there it was. The subject she'd been avoiding all day.

Arkayna took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ "I do. Or, I mean, my family does. It's been years since I've been here, though; I'd almost forgotten about it." She very deliberately did not look at Zarya as she spoke.

Zarya's attention, however, had been caught by the stack of surfboards in the corner. She was practically drooling. Em noticed the direction of her gaze. "You surf, Z?"

"Not for years, but I grew up in a fishing village. I used to go to the beach every chance I got and pester one of the teenagers into giving me a surfing lesson." Zarya smiled at the memory. "Wonder if I remember how?"

Piper shrugged. "I guess now's as good a time as any to find out."

Arkayna made a mental note of Zarya's story. "Grab a board and give it a try. That's what they're there for."

"Sweet!" Zarya grabbed for a board and held it up, checking the size. It seemed to meet her requirements, because she immediately headed for the waves. Em did the same.

Piper started digging through the stash of sand toys. She came up with three buckets of different sizes and a small shovel. Grinning, she headed for the sand with Choko on her heels. Arkayna watched as the elf started filling a bucket with sand, then turned her attention to the two surfers, who had already paddled out into the ocean. Zarya was scanning the waves coming in, waiting for a good one. As Arkayna watched, the other girl carefully got to her feet and adjusted her stance. Shrieking with laughter, she rode the wave into the shore with perfect style and grace. Arkayna stared: Zarya was the definition of brute strength. The fact that she could do anything gracefully was something of a shock.

Em rode in a minute later, on a much smaller wave. She carefully got off her board and stomped over. "Okay, there is no way you haven't been on a board in years!"

Zarya grinned. "What can I say? I still got it."

Em glared at her. "Rematch. Now."

"You're on."

By this point, Piper had completed the foundation of her sand castle. She giggled as she looked over at Choko. "Awww, who's a sandy fozball?" Choko ignored her comment, depositing a handful of seashells at her feet.

Arkayna smiled and shook her head as she headed back inside for a minute. _I know I saw it somewhere… There!_ She grabbed the object she'd been searching for and went back outside. Selecting a good spot several yards from Piper's construction zone, she carefully drove the poles into the sand. She was stretching the net between them when she heard a scream.

It seemed Em had tried to ride a wave that was too big for her. She'd been launched into the air, going one way while her board went the other. She was still tethered to it, though, and her flight was cut short as the line ran out. Em landed in the water with a huge splash. Arkayna and Piper both shifted into Mysticon form and started running toward the water, but before they'd gone three steps, Zarya launched herself off her own board and entered the water in a textbook dive.

The two girls on the shore couldn't do anything but watch as the end of the tether floated up next to the board, followed by Zarya breaking the surface holding Em under the arms. The blonde girl was coughing and sputtering as she was towed to the shore. Piper hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until Zarya said, "You can stand here," and released her grip.

As Arkayna shifted back into civilian form, she looked terrified at the thought of how close she'd just come to losing one of her best friends. It was one thing in the heat of battle, but this was supposed to be a day to relax!

Zarya carefully placed her hands on Em's shoulders until the dwarf looked into her eyes. In her most serious voice (the one she almost never used) she said, "This is why you _never_ attach the board to yourself."

Em waved vaguely toward the ocean. "But… it'll get lost…"

"The board is replaceable, Em. You aren't." For a moment she was nine years old again, her throat raw from coughing up seawater, hearing a frantic voice in her ear, _The board is replaceable, Zarya! You aren't!_ She shook off the memory.

"Maybe we should take a break from the water for a bit?" Arkayna suggested. "I set up a net for us to play beach volleyball; I was about to go look for the ball inside."

"I'll go find it!" Piper volunteered. She ran inside the small building and began digging through the pile of sand toys.

Em had gone to sit on the steps, leaving Arkayna and Zarya standing by themselves. Arkayna turned to her sister. "'The board is replaceable, you aren't?' That's pretty deep. How'd you come up with that?"

Zarya's expression darkened. In a low voice, she replied, "When I was nine, I wiped out surfing and almost drowned. That's what my mom said to me after I got towed back to shore. I'll _never_ forget how scared my parents were that day."

"It sounds like they were amazing people."

"They were." Zarya sighed. "I wonder what they'd think if they could see me now…"

"I'm sure they'd be proud of you." Arkayna decided to risk life and limb by quickly hugging the other girl. "If you wouldn't mind… I'd like to know more about your life. When you were a kid, I mean. We could… share stories?"

Zarya considered for a moment. "I'd like that."

"Hey guys?" Piper had come up behind them. In her hand she held a rather deflated beach ball. "I found the ball, but I don't think we can use it. There's a hole in it somewhere; it won't stay inflated."

Arkayna frowned, thinking, but it was Zarya who came up with an answer. "Hey, Chokster! Wanna play some beach volleyball?"

The foz squeaked excitedly and rolled up into a ball. Zarya picked him up. "We're good now."

They separated into teams. Piper and Zarya stood on one side of the net, facing Arkayna and Em on the other side. Zarya lobbed the fozball into the air. "Ready, girls?"

Before long, they were completely absorbed in the game and having the time of their lives. Zarya's competitive streak was showing; she and Piper led the game seven to two in minutes. After a while, they stopped keeping score and just fooled around with the net and the fozball. Choko was having a great time, if his excited squeaks were anything to go by.

Em finally called a halt to the game since it was getting dark. "Let's get changed and cook dinner. Arkayna, what'd you do with the food we brought?"

"It's inside; I'll grab it." Arkayna disappeared into the beach house and returned a minute later holding the food bag. "Anyone know how to start a fire?"

Zarya stared. "Are you saying you _don't_ know how? I thought _everybody_ knew that."

"Here, I'll do it." Piper aimed at the small pile of sticks Em had set up. "Pixie blast!"

"Well, I guess that's one way to do it," Zarya remarked dryly as the twigs caught on fire. "Here; these sticks are perfect for toasting leftover Snorg balls."

 **Of course Zarya's totally ripped; the promo described her as the "muscle" of the team, and considering the athletic stunts she pulls off in just about every episode, I decided that's probably pretty literal.**

 **Does it bother anyone else that we keep getting different accounts for how Zarya grew up? In "An Eye for an Eye," she says she grew up in the Undercity. In "Skies of Fire," Kitty says they both lived in a village. In "Mutiny Most Fowl," Zarya talks about missing her mom and dad, but in "Eternal Starshine of the Mage's Mind," it's said that she was raised in the orphanage. I don't get it, so I'm going with the option that makes the most sense to me: she was adopted and raised in a small village, where she first met Kitty. (The fact that she never mentions living in an orphanage seems to indicate that she doesn't remember it, so this also supports my theory.) I'm currently in the process of piecing together a timeline of her life.**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy; next chapter, I'll get back into the main storyline.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I know I haven't updated in a while. Sorry! I wanted to wait for the final episode and then finish rewatching the entire series before I posted anything else. I finally managed to see the last episode and it was EPIC!**

 **If you didn't know already… I don't own Mysticons, yada yada.**

 **Bonus scene from the end of "The Lost Scepter":**

Zarya dug through the refrigerator looking for some juice. It had been a day… She pulled the carton out and flopped down on the couch, groaning. "Ugghh… brothers are the worst."

"Tell me about it," an annoyed voice grumbled from across the room.

Zarya lowered the juice (she'd been drinking straight from the carton) and stared at Tazma trapped in her snow globe. "Did you just agree with me on something?"

The tiny shadow-mage rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I'm as surprised as you are."

 **Not long enough to be its own chapter, but I had to get this out there. Now, on to the real adventure! This takes place the night and morning after "The Lost Scepter."**

 **Dream Memories**

" _Mommy, can you read me a story?"_

 _Cecilia Moonwolf looked down at her five-year-old daughter. "I suppose so… what book would you like me to read?"_

" _This one!" Zarya produced a tattered storybook from behind her back._

 _Cecilia looked at the cover and chuckled. "Malese the Adventurer… why am I not surprised? Well, come sit next to me, and I'll read you_ _ **one**_ _story from it, but then it's bedtime."_

 _Zarya climbed up on the couch and sat close to her mother so she could look at the pictures as Cecilia began, "Malese was visiting the market one day when she heard about a dragon terrorizing another village…"_

Dream Zarya walked closer to the couch where her younger self was snuggled up to her mother. Cecilia's voice had faded to background noise, but the story had already begun to play itself out in her mind. She had nearly forgotten… There had been thirty stories in this book, and she'd insisted on one of them for her bedtime stories for more than a year, until she'd learned to read and had made her way through it herself. It had been her favorite book. She'd been able to recite the whole thing from memory at one point…

A moment later, she bolted upright so fast that she spilled onto the floor with a muffled shriek as her hammock spun around. She sat there for a moment, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Choko jumped into her lap and chittered at her anxiously.

"I'm okay, Choko," she hurried to reassure the worried foz. "Just… a weird dream." Choko jumped back onto the desk, but kept an eye on her as she picked up her pillow off the floor and settled back into the hammock.

Without warning, the door opened and Piper stuck her head in. "I heard a scream… you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Fell out of bed, that's all."

Piper shrugged. "Okay, just checking. Sleep well!" She closed the door behind her.

Zarya went back to fixing up her blankets, still pondering the dream that had woken her. As she settled back into bed, one thought occupied her mind.

 _I'd almost forgotten… what it's like to have a mother…_

xxxxxxxxxx

Zarya walked into the royal library the next morning. Arkayna was already in there. She looked up, startled, when Zarya entered. "Umm… can I help you find something?"

"Yeah." Zarya looked around awkwardly for a minute. "Is there… a copy of _The Tales of Malese the Adventurer_ anywhere in here?"

Arkayna blinked at her, clearly not expecting that. "Not here… but… come with me."

Zarya followed Arkayna down the hallway to the princess's suite of rooms. Arkayna went over to a tall bookshelf. "Over here. It's funny you should ask; this was my favorite book when I was a kid." She pulled herself up onto the highest shelf. "Here it is!" She pulled it out, jumped down, and held it out to Zarya, then hesitated. "Wait… why do you want this?"

"It was… my favorite book when I was little. I'd almost forgotten… but I had a dream about it last night, and it reminded me."

Arkayna stared. "Seriously? That's crazy! What was your favorite story?"

Zarya smiled. "The Crystal Cavern. Yours?"

"The Keeper of the Seasons." Arkayna finally let Zarya take the book from her. "You know… if it means that much to you… keep it."

She didn't notice that Zarya was holding the book so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, her expression somewhat shocked at getting back this one small part of her childhood. "Anything else? I'm searching the library for obscure sources that might tell us how to free Mom and Dad."

Zarya had been about to leave, but paused in the doorway as something occurred to her. "Hey, Arkayna?"

The princess turned around. "Yeah?"

"Darius is your…" Zarya paused. "…our stepfather, yeah?"

Arkayna nodded.

"Why do you call him Dad?"

"Because he's the only father I remember." Arkayna's expression was unreadable. "Don't you feel the same way about your adoptive parents?"

Zarya didn't answer that, just turned and left the room. She wasn't going to let Arkayna see that she'd hit a nerve. Besides, she had her book now. As she headed for her room, though, she felt a quiet determination building. Nobody was around to see her clench a fist so tightly her fingernails dug into her palm.

 _I lost my family once before… I'm not about to let that happen again…_

 **I feel like Zarya would have mixed emotions about finding out she has a family after everything she's gone through in the last five years (just for the record, I'm going with the assumption that the pirate raid was when she was ten). On the one hand, her adoptive parents kept a really big secret from her, and she's probably a bit resentful of that. On the other hand, they were the only family she knew, and she still misses them. By the way, I'm not sure what made me call her mother Cecilia, but it felt right to me, and** _ **of course**_ **her favorite book as a kid was a book of adventure stories. This chapter foreshadows the events of "Fear the Spectral Hand" nicely, even though I didn't do it on purpose.**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I think after this chapter, I've only got a couple more. Shout-out to everybody who's been reading and enjoying—y'all are awesome!**

 **ZaryaM-pinkskullsandmoonbeams:** I'm so glad you're enjoying!

 **Strife667:** Yeah, it's obvious that Arkayna and Zarya don't have much in common, personality-wise, but I thought that giving them something innocuous to bond over (like a favorite book) would be nice.

 **I own nothing!**

 **This chapter takes place the evening after "Total Eclipse of the Golden Heart." (I kinda felt like this episode could have had a better ending scene.)**

 **Bonding**

The Mysticons were sitting around the table eating takeout. (At Piper's insistence, there wasn't a cupcake in sight.) They were all drained after the eclipse, so they were stuffing their faces full.

Zarya shoved an especially large bite in her mouth before saying, "Hey, Em."

The dwarf looked over. "Yeah?"

"Your mom knows you're a Mysticon now…" Zarya grinned slyly, "…but I notice you didn't tell her you have a boyfriend."

Em rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because I don't want to give her a heart attack! Mom doesn't think fourteen is old enough to be dating at all—I don't even wanna think about what she'll do when she finds out I'm dating an ex-criminal."

Zarya raised an eyebrow. "I'm an ex-criminal. Your mom loves me."

Em stared at Zarya as though the blue-haired girl wasn't very bright and said slowly, "I'm not _dating_ you."

"And thank the stars for that." Zarya went back to her food, apparently unoffended. Through her next mouthful she added, "You are _so_ not my type."

"Zarya, don't talk with food in your mouth," Arkayna chastised her.

"Don't tell me what to do, princess."

Em didn't appear to have heard their exchange. She pointed her fork at them and added, "You guys are lucky. You don't have to get permission for everything you do."

There was a clatter as Zarya dropped her fork and stood up, shoving her plate into the middle of the table. Em looked up, but couldn't see the older girl's expression.

"Right." The single word was absolutely _dripping_ with sarcasm, but Zarya didn't stop there. "Not having to get parental approval for anything _totally_ makes up for the fact that my adoptive parents are dead and my birth parents have no idea I exist."

She didn't wait for a response before stomping off down the hallway. A moment later, they heard her door slam.

Arkayna found her voice first. "What's the matter with you, Em? I can't believe you'd say something like that!"

Em stared. "How was I supposed to know she'd react like that?"

Piper glared across the table. "You _know_ she's sensitive about family lately. Or were you too caught up in your own problems to notice?"

"Give her a few minutes to cool off, but then you need to apologize to her," Arkayna ordered.

"No; she'll flick me in the head," Em protested.

Arkayna eyed her best friend suspiciously. "Why will she flick you in the head?"

Em sighed. "She hates it that I apologize for everything, and she's trying to break me of the habit by flicking me in the head whenever she catches me doing it."

Piper couldn't suppress a snicker at that. Em glared at her.

Arkayna crossed her arms. "It doesn't matter. You need to tell her you didn't mean it and that you're sorry."

"I really hurt her feelings this time, didn't I?" Em's shoulders slumped. She took a moment to gather her courage, then started down the hall. Stopping at Zarya's door, Em tried the knob and was surprised when it turned. She'd expected to have to pick the lock.

She slowly opened the door, half expecting to get something thrown at her head. After a moment she realized she didn't need to bother; Zarya was sitting cross-legged on her hammock staring at something in her lap. As Em got closer, she recognized it as the locket Zarya kept under her hoodie, with the picture of her family hovering in the air.

"Hey, Zarya? I… I'm sorry I said that. That was… a really stupid thing to say… and I didn't mean it."

Zarya slowly turned in her direction. Em covered her head with her hands. "Please don't flick me in the head!"

She was completely unprepared for the older girl wrapping her arms around her shoulders and squeezing. Em was shocked. Zarya was the furthest thing from a hugger she'd ever encountered, and under the circumstances, she would have expected a more volatile reaction.

"I know you didn't mean it like that." Zarya released her hold and sat back down, patting the spot next to her. Em took it, still somewhat in shock. "The truth is… I'm a little jealous. You've got your big family that obviously cares about you, and the rest of us… don't."

"Wait, what? I thought…" Em trailed off.

"You thought what? That I'd be _oh so happy_ to have a family again that I'd jump up and down in excitement? You know me better than that. I lost my family years ago and I thought that was the end of it. Now I find out I was kidnapped at birth, I've got a twin sister, and my parents are royalty. My life is the definition of 'it's complicated.'" Zarya paused a moment, then continued, "Arkayna saw her parents turned to bone in front of her, she's got the most annoying stepbrother in the history of the world, the person she thought was her sister is now our greatest enemy, and she's gotta deal with a twin sister who clashes with her on everything." Zarya eyed Em. "Not to mention Piper…" She sighed. "Em, have you ever heard Piper mention her family? Even once?"

Em thought about it for a minute. "I… no, I don't think so."

"Neither have I. And I've known her for _years._ When we first met, I asked her a few times, but she just said she didn't have any family and wouldn't say anything else. I eventually let it go, 'cause she obviously didn't wanna talk about it, but it's clear she sees us as the only family she's got."

"I… never really thought about it." Em reached over and hugged Zarya back for a moment, then tried a smile. "I already felt guilty enough about that, and now you had to go and make me feel worse? Thanks a lot."

Em ducked as Zarya ruffled her hair, then stood up. "Come on, we don't want to let Piper and Choko eat everything. Let's get back out there and finish our dinner. That eclipse really took it out of me; I haven't been this hungry since I lived on the street."

 **Okay, this turned out way more serious than I intended. I really only wanted to showcase Zarya and Em bonding 'cause they really hadn't done much of that (then we got "The Foz Who Saved Lotus Night" and "The Princess and the Pirate" which kinda made that a moot point, but whatever).**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy!**


	14. Chapter 14

**This takes place right after "The Foz who Saved Lotus Night." It's not from the Mysticons' POV, but I hope you like it!**

 **I own nothing!**

 **Kasha's Day Out**

Kasha had had it up to _here_ with the other Vexicons. Seriously. Mallory was _so bossy_ , Willa had the maturity of a six-year-old, and Eartha was so polite it gave her a cavity just thinking about it. How did a being created from dark magic end up with such good manners?

So she'd left. Just walked out of the lair and started running. If only she could go into the city… but she wanted to do something low-key, and terrifying the citizens wasn't really what she had in mind.

 _I wish I wasn't a Vexicon…_

No sooner had that traitorous thought entered her mind than she was surrounded by a golden-brown swirl of magic. It only lasted a minute, but something… changed. After the magic dissipated, she immediately searched her surroundings for a reflective surface. _There… that piece of scrap metal!_

Walking over to it, she crouched down to look at her reflection.

 _Whoa, that's crazy! Star-Mistress did_ _ **not**_ _mention this as one of our powers._

She was still a cat-girl—whatever had happened hadn't changed that, at least—but the Vexicon mask on her face was gone, and her outfit was completely different. She wore a camo-patterned hoodie over a black t-shirt, and baggy black jeans. Her shoes appeared to be athletic sneakers, and there was a backpack over one shoulder. Curious, she pulled it off and looked inside. The only thing in it was a pair of in-line skates.

Kasha sat back for a moment, thinking. She looked like any other citizen of Drake City right now. Could the other Vexicons do this? The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. The Mysticons had civilian forms, and the Vexicons had been created to counter them.

The broader implications of her transformation hit her. _I could go into the city and just chill! And I could do this whenever I want!_

Grinning, she shoved her hood back and slung the pack over her shoulder again. _Time to have some fun…_

She started running, not so much running away this time as she was just enjoying being able to. It didn't take long for her to reach the city. She dodged a flying car and kept going, sliding around corners and ducking down alleys.

Kasha was so focused on how much _fun_ she was having that she didn't notice the person in front of her until it was too late to avoid a collision.

 _Smack! Thud!_

Kasha landed on her butt with an "Oof!" and sat there, her wind knocked out.

"Hey, are you all right?"

Kasha looked up. The person she'd run into—a human girl of about sixteen—was looking down at her, wearing a concerned expression. Choppily cut indigo hair fell to her chin; she regarded Kasha with bright turquoise eyes. Kasha recognized her—and immediately began cursing her luck.

 _Tens of thousands of people in this city, and I run into a Mysticon?!_

The Ranger was still staring at her. Kasha forced herself to say, "Yeah… I'm fine."

The other girl extended her arm. Kasha was caught completely off guard. She wasn't sure what possessed her to take it, but she allowed the girl to haul her to her feet.

"I'm Zarya, by the way. What's your name?"

"I—" _Wait a minute._ She couldn't say her real name, or she'd blow her cover. Finally she settled on, "I'm Asha."

The other girl regarded her for a moment before asking, "Are you in some kind of trouble? I can introduce you to a street gang if you want; they'll look after you."

Kasha shook her head. "No… I'm not in any trouble" — _at least not the kind you're talking about—_ "and I don't live on the streets." And here was an interesting question: weren't the Dragon Mage and the Ranger both princesses? What did royalty know about street gangs?

"This might sound weird…" the Ranger—Zarya—went on. "But… do you wanna hang out? I'm trying to avoid my sister right now."

That, at least, Kasha understood. But now she was curious as well as confused. "Where do you want to go?"

Zarya shrugged. "I'm open to suggestions."

Kasha flashed back to the skates in her bag. "Skate park, maybe?"

Zarya's turquoise eyes lit up. "Yes! I just got a new mage-board, too!"

"Cool—let's go!" The ultimate weirdness of this wasn't lost on Kasha, but she was sure she could tell Proxima she'd been doing recon if the Star-Mistress was bothered by it.

The skate park was only a few blocks away. Kasha had allowed Zarya to take the lead by explaining that she was new to the city. Zarya hadn't questioned it. Once there, she'd put her hood up before going in. Kasha wondered why, but didn't want to raise suspicions by asking.

Zarya paid for them to get in, then pulled something out of her bag. Kasha stared. "A collapsible mage-board? Sweet!"

"It is pretty awesome, isn't it? I guess sisters are good for something after all." Zarya grinned, then headed over to the boarding section of the park. Kasha sat down to put on her skates. She was standing up when she heard, "Hey, Asha!" from across the room and looked over. Zarya had pulled onto a rail and started pulling tricks Kasha couldn't even name. When she finally leveled out, Kasha gave her two thumbs up, and several bystanders applauded and cheered.

"My turn," Kasha declared once Zarya had come back up to her. She headed toward a rail, hopped on, and started grinding along. At the end of the rail, she jumped, gave a little spin, and landed perfectly on the next rail. She kept going until she'd circled the entire area, doing different tricks every time she needed to get on a new rail. There was more applause from the crowd, and Zarya stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled appreciatively.

Kasha went back to join her—friend? _Ha! I bet_ _ **she**_ _probably thinks so. But she's my mortal enemy! Meh… I don't have to think about that right now. I can just have fun, and if I learn something about her while I'm at it, so much the better._ She decided to put it out of her mind for now.

They settled into a game: one of them would pull a trick, then the other would have to match it.

Zarya finally called a halt to the game, saying she was hungry. Kasha hadn't noticed her own growling stomach until then, but immediately realized she was famished. They were heading to the sandwich cart in the park when a passerby commented, "It's so strange seeing a blader and a boarder getting along."

Kasha frowned; what was that supposed to mean? She turned and asked Zarya, "Are bladers and boarders not supposed to get along?"

Zarya snickered. "What, the rivalry? Do they not have that where you're from?" Kasha shook her head. "Well, it's about how bladers and boarders are always competing for supremacy at the skate park, so they don't usually hang out together. It's more of a joke than anything else, though."

Kasha snorted. _If they think_ _ **that's**_ _surprising, imagine if they knew we were a Mysticon and a Vexicon getting along! It would totally blow their minds._ Zarya seemed to have misinterpreted the reaction, because she smirked and added, "Yeah, I think it's pretty silly myself. I mean, if a street rat and a princess can learn to get along, why not bladers and boarders, too?"

It took a moment for that to sink in, but when it did, Kasha was offended. "I told you, I'm not a street rat."

Zarya shook her head, confused. "I know that. I didn't…" Her voice trailed off and her eyes narrowed. "Wait, you thought I meant you and me?"

Kasha… had no response to that. Zarya continued, "You did, didn't you? Which means you know who I am."

"I… I…" Kasha fumbled for a response.

"You had me thinking you were just a random kid, new to the city so you hadn't heard the news. Why'd you pretend to be clueless?"

Kasha's mind raced; how could she save this without making the girl even more suspicious? "I… was too startled when I ran into you earlier. Then you started talking about street gangs and going to the skate park… I got curious as to why you were treating me so normally. What's a princess know about street gangs, anyway?"

Zarya sighed. "It's a long, complicated story and I really don't feel like going into it right now. Let's just say my life hasn't always been sunshine and roses." She paused for a moment. "Look, I should probably head home. I had a lot of fun today; wanna exchange numbers so we can do this again?"

Kasha shook her head. "I can't; we don't have new phones yet. Can we figure this out later?"

Zarya shrugged. "Sure, why not. Later, skater." She grinned as she started riding her board up and down streets.

Kasha stared after her. _This has been a super weird day. Well, I didn't learn anything new about her power, but I_ _ **did**_ _have fun, so… I'm gonna count it as a win. I guess I should probably be getting home, too…_

She trudged back toward the Vexicons' lair at a _much_ slower pace than she'd left it. No sooner had she walked in the door than Proxima landed in front of her; clearly the Star-Mistress had been lying in wait.

"And just where have _you_ been all day?"

 **I swear, I came up with this before "Heart of Stone premiered! That one totally threw me for a loop and I started wondering if I shouldn't bother to post this. Then again, I put a lot of work into it, so I figured why not. Kasha seems like the most rebellious of the Vexicons, and also the one with the shortest temper. I could totally see the personalities of the others getting to her. (I'm actually kinda glad the Vexicons didn't get destroyed. They might be evil, but they're the kind of villains I love to hate!)**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy!**


	15. Chapter 15

**This scene takes place in between "The Princess and the Pirate" and "Eternal Starshine of the Mage's Mind."**

 **Strife667:** Happy face emoji! (And wow, I cannot believe those words ever made it into my head, much less onto the page. I must be channeling Piper.) Yeah, I really think that Kasha and Zarya would get along quite nicely if given half a chance, but since the Vexicons are currently enjoying the hospitality of the royal dungeon, I doubt we'll ever find out for sure…

 **ZaryaM-pinkskullsandmoonbeams:** The bantering was the first part I came up with! That's what inspired the whole scene. Heehee…

 **I don't own Mysticons.**

 **A New Day**

Zarya yawned as she got out of bed and walked over to the door. _I swear, if Arkayna makes me watch one more mushy rom-com, I'm arranging for the Hex-Box to have a little… accident._ She absently ran her fingers through her hair as she pondered what to do with her day—then stopped as she realized something.

Slowly, she ran her fingers through her hair again. Nope, she wasn't imagining things—the ends of her hair were brushing her shoulders. _Too long._ She had only a small mirror in her room, courtesy of Piper, but she carefully angled her head and let the hair fall over her face. _Yep, definitely time for a trim._

The scissors were in the desk drawer; she didn't keep much in there (she didn't own many things at all), but she quickly grabbed them. Tilting her head back, she started cutting. Soon the floor was covered in snippets of blue. Once it was trimmed back to its usual chin-length, she fluffed the ends and checked it out in the mirror.

 _Much better._ It was strange, really. She'd kept her hair several inches longer than this as a kid, but she'd found that long hair was a major liability for a sky pirate or a street thief. So she'd taken to cutting it herself, and been somewhat surprised with how much she liked the results. She admired the uneven ends that suited her so nicely.

As she started brushing the cut hair into a pile, the door suddenly swung open. "It's me! Don't shoot!" Arkayna's chipper voice called out.

Zarya looked up from her cleaning. "'Don't shoot?' Was that supposed to be funny?"

Arkayna rolled her eyes. "Please. If you'd come up with that line, you would've thought it was hilarious."

Zarya shook her head. "Whatever."

"Sooo… whatcha doing?" Arkayna asked, swinging up onto Zarya's hammock.

"Do you have _any_ concept of personal space?" Zarya demanded. "It's way too early for you to be this cheerful. Not that you'd care, but I'm cleaning up after giving myself a haircut."

Arkayna had been swinging herself back and forth, but stopped when she heard that. "Wait, you _actually_ cut your own hair? I thought you were kidding when you said you did that."

"Nope, not kidding," Zarya replied. "Actually…" She went over to the door and yelled, "Yo, Pipes!"

Piper stuck her head around the corner. "Yeah?"

Zarya waved the scissors at her.

"Aww, really?" Piper groaned.

"Yes, really. Come on, it's not that bad." Zarya tugged the elf over to the middle of the room and pulled out her pigtails. As a last thought, she pulled the mirror out and positioned it on the desk in front of where Piper was standing.

Arkayna was still watching. "So… you trust Zarya near your neck with a sharp object?"

Zarya made a rude gesture at her without turning around. Arkayna raised her eyebrows. "And you do _that_ in front of a kid?"

Piper rolled her eyes at Arkayna in the mirror. "First of all, I'm not a kid. Second of all, I'm a former street rat. It's nothing I haven't seen before. Besides, I learned pretty much every cuss word Zarya knows before she got into the habit of listing them off in her head. And she knows a _lot_ of them."

"Hold still," Zarya ordered her. "If you end up bald, it's your own fault."

"Yeah, yeah." Piper didn't look impressed by the threat.

Arkayna had _not_ expected it, but Zarya was surprisingly efficient at hairstyling. Only a few more minutes passed before she said, "Okay, you're good to go."

"Yay!" Piper reached for her hair ties and quickly redid her pigtails before skipping out of the room.

Zarya wagged the scissors at Arkayna. "You next?"

Arkayna flinched. "No way!"

"Well, in that case…" Zarya pointed toward the door. "Out. I need to clean this up."

Arkayna went to the door, but instead of leaving, she gave a quick snap of her fingers. A moment later, the magic broom was inside, taking care of everything. Zarya took a step back as it swept up all the snippets of hair off the floor. The entire job was done in less than two minutes, and the broom flew back out as quickly as it had come in.

Zarya raised one eyebrow. "Well, I guess that's one way to do it."

Arkayna shrugged. "We should probably do some training, don't you think? Who knows when the Vexicons will strike next."

Zarya considered that and nodded. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

"You'd better." With that, Arkayna turned and left.

Choko had been woken up by the broom and was now chittering angrily. Zarya tossed him a foz treat and he settled down, but kept glaring at her.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, with a distinctive tone. Zarya pulled the device out and read the glyph from the screen.

 _miss u_

Smiling, Zarya hit Reply. It didn't take long for her to type up her response.

 _miss u 2_

She waited for a few moments, but Kitty didn't say anything else. Really, it was kind of impressive that they could communicate between different planes at all. Kitty must have gotten service for a minute and taken advantage of it. They'd have to settle for what they could get for a while.

Zarya turned and looked at the picture that sat front and center on her desk: the two of them caught in mid-laugh, with their arms around each other. She'd found herself staring absently at this photo a lot recently.

 _I hope your mission to destroy those things doesn't take too long. Hurry back, girl; my life's just not the same without you around._

 **Yeah, so this chapter's basically pure fluff. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, though. It's also the last chapter I have planned for this fic (although I'm planning something else, wink wink). Was anyone else hoping we'd see the Pink Skulls one more time? Or was that just me? Well, either way, I'm definitely not done writing Mysticons fanfic. I hope you've all enjoyed, and I can't wait to see what you think of all the other stuff I've come up with!**


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